NPR's List of Best Songs and Albums of 2009 (so far)

The Best Songs of 2009 (so far)
1. “My Girls” Animal Collective
2. “Two Weeks” Grizzly Bear
3. “Blood Bank” Bon Iver
4. “The Rake’s Song” The Decemberists
5. “Lisztomania” Phoenix
6. “Zero” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. “This Tornado Loves You” Neko Case
8. “Sleepyhead” Passion Pit
9. “Laughing With” Regina Spektor
10. “The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid” The Decemberists
11. “Train Song” Feist and Ben Gibbard
12. “Knotty Pine” David Byrne & Dirty Projectors
13. “Daniel” Bat For Lashes
14. “Summertime Clothes” Animal Collective
15. “One Wing” Wilco
16. “The Fear” Lily Allen
17. “Heads Will Roll” Yeah Yeah Yeahs
18. “Wilco (The Song)” Wilco
19. “Stillness Is The Move” Dirty Projectors
20. “Help, I’m Alive” Metric
21. “Anonanimal” Andrew Bird
22. “On No” Andrew Bird
23. “No You Girls” Franz Ferdinand
24. “I And Love And You” The Avett Brothers
25. “French Navy” Camera Obscura
26. “Magpie To The Morning” Neko Case
27. “Woods” Bon Iver
28. “Black Hearted Love” PJ Harvey and John Parish
29. “While You Wait For The Others” Grizzly Bear
30. “Panic Switch” Silversun Pickups

Best Albums of 2009 (so far)
bq.. 1. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
2. The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists
3. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
4. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
5. Wilco (The Album) by Wilco
6. Noble Beast by Andrew Bird
7. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
8. It’s Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. Dark Was The Night by Various Artists
10. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
11. Far by Regina Spektor
12. Actor by St. Vincent
13. Manners by Passion Pit
14. Hold Time by M. Ward
15. Reservoir by Fanfarlo
16. Fever Ray by Fever Ray
17. Fantasies by Metric
18. Two Suns by Bat for Lashes
19. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
20. Dark Night of the Soul by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
21. The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons
22. The Eternal by Sonic Youth
23. The Ecstatic by Mos Def
24. Outer South by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
25. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
26. Together Through Life by Bob Dylan
27. No Line on the Horizon by U2
28. March of the Zapotec by Beirut
29. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
30. The Mountain by Heartless Bastards

Carrie Brownstein (of Sleater Kinney) Loves Lightning Dust

From her NPR Blog "Monitor Mix":

"Just in case you were wondering, there is music that I'm really in love with right now. But there's only one record that I listen to every single day, and that's Lightning Dust's upcoming Infinite Light.

The first song, "Antonia Jane," gives me chills each time I hear it. I think it's the line, "I declare a war on you." But mostly, it's the overall interplay of the band's guitar, piano and vocals; together, they create a musical conversation that vacillates between melancholy and joy, grime and glimmer. And the drums sound like far-off foot soldiers, coming up close and then receding into the background. Lightning Dust makes really electrifying music -- not shocking or bombastic, but in a way that puts the listener near the power source, close enough to feel the buzz, tingle and vibration that accompany beauty."

Infinite Light is out August 4th.

NPR's Discoveries From The Pitchfork Music Festival

Full story here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106940994

Flight of the Conchords - New Album out Oct. 20th

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - New EP out Sept. 22nd

Blue Roses - 7.8 Pitchfork Rating

"a dizzyingly beautiful set of delicate folk songs." NME.
"A haunting record, full of unexpected instrumental textures that course beneath Groves'extraordinary voice and eerie, elusive lyrics" - Sunday Times Culture.

Album out now on XL Recordings.

Spin's 20 Best Albums of 2009...So Far

Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
Peter Bjorn And John - Living Thing
Blk Jks - Mystery
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Regina Spektor - Far
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
Bat For Lashes - Two Sun
Mavado - Mr. Brooks... A Better Tomorrow
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Sa-Ra Creative Partners - The Age Of Love
Antony And The Johnsons - The Crying Light

Full article here:

http://www.spin.com/gallery/20-best-albums-2009-so-far

Megafaun - Gather, Form & Fly 8.1 Rating From Pitchfork

Their highly anticipated second album. All the hints they've given us - from songs Stereogum described as "mournful, slow-blooming banjo-and-white-noise-laced epics" to tours with The Rosebuds, Arnold Dreyblatt, and Akron Family - have culminated in a record that's an ode to death, love, musical history, community, tradition, and experimentation. In all, it's an ode to the listener. Double LP also available. July 21st release from Hometapes.

Entertainment Weekly Gives New Portugal The Man Album an A- Rating

Portugal. The Man's fourth album, The Satanic Satanist, is 
 perfect for summer: appealingly warm, even as they mine thematic turf in their hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. 
Combining Motown falsettos and the best of late-'60s groove rock with spacey loops and hipster-art-collective 
sing-alongs, they deliver a sound that's friendly and familiar without being derivative; it's a sort of retrofitted make-out van on a club crawl. And in John Baldwin Gourley, they've got a vocalist whose sweet, fully committed tenor instantly makes you believe in his songs of northern disillusionment. Palin who? A– (courtesy of Whitney Pastorek at Entertainment Weekly)

Beastie Boys - Too Many Rappers (feat. Nas) 12 Inch Single IN STOCK NOW!

A solid, timelessly funky group rap single from the Beastie Boys -- with special guest Nas -- the first taste we got of the Beastie Boys '09 Hot Sauce Committee LP! To put it succinctly, this single pretty much turned out exactly as good we'd hoped it would be. Nas comes out first, and trades mic time with the Beasties over a heavy, live sounding funky beat and bass. Nothing fancy, just straight up, solid hip hop from veterans -- the genre blending, unstoppable Beastie Boys and Nas, one of the best NYC MCs to ever pic up a mic! Limited edition 180 gram vinyl -- from the Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee LP coming this fall. (Review courtesy of Dusty Grove)

Grizzly Bear Giving an Incredible Performance on Letterman

Get Better Soon MCA

Adam “MCA” Yauch of Beastie Boys was diagnosed last week as having a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. Luckily it was caught early and is localized in one area, and as such is considered very treatable. It will however require surgery and several weeks of additional treatment. Fortunately the cancer is not in a location that will affect Yauch’s vocal chords.

Beastie Boys have canceled all upcoming concert appearances to allow time for Yauch’s surgery and recovery. The release of the band’s forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will also be pushed back.

Paraphrasing from a video statement on Beastieboys.com, Yauch said, “I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows. It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because i was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later.”

(via Nasty Little Man)

Iggy Pop - Iggy & Ziggy Cleveland '77 (Due Out July 28th)

Ah, 1977. It was a year that gave us Star Wars, the Voyager space missions, and Apple Computer’s getting incorporated. And, on March 21 of that year, David Bowie joined Iggy Pop when he played the Angora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, during The Idiot tour.

On Iggy & Ziggy: Cleveland ’77 (available on CD and retro-friendly 12-inch vinyl on 7/28), you can close your eyes and go back 30-plus (sigh) years ago, when two men weren’t afraid to wear a little—or a lot—of eyeliner and glitter and go bananas onstage. Iggy took on the vocals while Bowie played keyboards as they tore through a set list that includes “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “TV Eye,” “Raw Power,” “Gimmie Danger,” and “Sister Midnight.” The live recording conveys the energy of the crowd and the impossible-to-replicate antics of Iggy Pop, making you wish you were at that show. But this comes close—thank you, Cleveland, indeed.

Under the Radar: Riceboy Sleeps

Great release coming out on 7/21 for fans of Sigur Ros. Cool packaging too! Jon Thor Birgisson (Sigur Ros) and Alex Somers (Parachutes) have been exhibiting artwork and staging exhibitions under the name Riceboy Sleeps for a few years now. Their track "Happiness" was featured on the "Dark Was The Night" compilation. This record is more active than its antecedents in the ambient output of Brian Eno and other deliberately low-impact works. "Riceboy Sleeps" is awash with tension and stimuli, as well as being frequently and stunningly beautiful. "Emotionally evocative, mostly instrumental, and pretty great" - Prefix.

New Swell Season Due Out Sept. 29th

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova return with a new album this fall through Anti.

Funny People Soundtrack Features Exclusive Tracks

Soundtrack to the new Judd Apatow movie starring Adam Sandler. Features two never before released tracks by John Lennon (rare acoustic demo of "Watching The Wheels") and Neil Diamond "We" early demo). Also features tracks by Wilco/Andrew Bird, Warren Zevon, Adam Sandler, James Taylor, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Coconut Records, etc.

Due out July 28th. Full tracklisting here:

"Funny People" soundtrack tracklist
1. Paul McCartney - Great Day
2. Coconut Records - Wires
3. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - All The King's Horses
4. James Taylor - Carolina On My Mind [live]
5. Warren Zevon - Keep Me In Your Heart
6. Adam Sandler - Real Love [live]
7. Neil Diamond - We [early take]
8. Wilco with Andrew Bird - Jesus, etc. [Live Summer '08]
9. Adam Sandler - George Simmons Soon Will Be Gone
10. Coconut Records - I Am Young
11. Maude Apatow & Larry Goldings - Memory (from Cats)
12. Warren Zevon - Numb As A Statue
13. Ringo Starr - Photograph
14. John Lennon - Watching The Wheels [acoustic]

Dead Weather 7 inch Still Available!

First Pressing
Limited Edition of 2000 copies on black vinyl.

Produced by Jack White III
Recorded at Third Man Studio, Nashville, TN 2009

Hang You From The Heavens
Written by Dean Fertita and Alison Mosshart (PRS)
Sleeping Disorder Music / BUG Music (BMI)
Domino Published Company USA (ASCAP)

Are 'Friends' Electric?
Written by Gary Numan
Universal / Polygram International Publishlng Inc.

New No Age EP due out Oct. 6th on Vinyl Only

New Basement Jaxx due out in October

Julian Casablancas to release solo album this fall

The Strokes' Julian Casablancas will release a solo album, Phrazes for the Young, this fall through RCA.

Top Ten Most Metal Classical Music Pieces

Most people can come to an agreement in regards to the beginning of heavy metal music that will place its roots stemming from blues and developing true “heavy metal” form in the loud rock of the late ’60s/early ’70s; however, there is actually much evidence that heavy metal got its start one hundred-plus years before that in the minds and music of classical composers. For anyone even slightly familiar with the great works of classical music, this may come as no surprise. Let’s face it, it’s no secret that Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Wagner made “heavy” and “loud” their thing; but so did lots of other composers in somewhat less well-known pieces. Those works, and their heavy metal tendencies, are precisely what we’re going to be exploring here in today’s countdown.

Below we’ve got a list of the Top 10 Most Metal Classical Music Pieces of all-time. Highlighted here are some you may be familiar with, others you’ve likely never heard. All qualify, in one way or another, as “metal-as-shit!” so prepare to be rocked…(courtesy of earfarm.com):

http://earfarm.com/features/daily-feature/monday/4180

Japandroids finally out Aug. 11th on CD & LP

Pitchfork already gave the album an 8.3 Best New Music rating.

The Smiths and Muse vinyl due out in August

The Smiths have 4 titles being re-issued on LP on Aug. 11th: The Smiths, Meat is Murder, Queen is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come. Newly re-mastered audio by Frank Arkwright (overseen by Johnny Marr, no less) and packaged in the original sleeves with original labels and original inner bags, pressed on high-quality 180 gram vinyl!



And on Aug. 18th, Muse will re-issue 4 titles: Showbiz, Absolution, Origin of Symmetry and Black Holes and Revelations.

Woodstock: 40 Years on: Back to Yasgur's Farm (6CD, Limited Edition)

This looks super cool. There will also be a LP version of this set. Both versions are due out August 18th.

Product description: As the historic festival marks its 40-year anniversary, Rhino presents WOODSTOCK-40 YEARS ON: BACK TO YASGUR'S FARM, a 77-song, six-CD boxed set that features the most comprehensive collection ever available of artists that performed at the original festival, sequenced in chronological order of performance, featuring 38 previously unreleased recordings, including the Grateful Dead, The Who, Tim Hardin, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & The Fish, and others. To assemble the most comprehensive document of the myth-steeped weekend, the boxed set's co-producer Andy Zax pored over every inch of multitrack tape in search of the strongest parts of each of the 33 sets. 'The way we approached all of the material was as if it was a cinema verite documentary-the raw record of the event,' Zax says. In addition to the music, the set offers considerable amount of ancillary material sprinkled throughout the discs-stage announcements, lysergic babble, the sounds of rain, a cameo appearance by Abbie Hoffman, and the graciousness of Max Yasgur's address to the crowd, heard for the first time in its entirety.

Blitzen Trapper EP due out August 25th

Under the Radar: Stardeath and White Dwarfs

Sure, their singer Dennis Coyne is the nephew of a certain Wayne of the same surname. And yes, that band name does scream cosmic, serotonin-prog from the planet chronic. But SaWD sound less like a swooning Flaming Lips tribute group and more like Beck at his stoner-pop best. (courtesy Nylon Magazine)

CD & LP out now on Warner Bros.

Here is their version of "Borderline" by Madonna:

The Cribs (with new member Johnny Marr) have a new album, "Ignore the Ignorant", due out Sept. 8th

Times New Viking new album due out Sept. 22nd

Death Cab @ Hollywood Bowl. Wow.

Bad Lieutenant (New Order project) due out Oct. 6th

With Peter Hook having acrimoniously split from New Order, the rest of the legendary synth rock act has enlisted Blur bassist Alex James for a new project dubbed Bad Lieutenant.

The BBC reports the new band — featuring Joy Division/New Order members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris, along with late-era New Order guitarist Phil Cunningham and singer-guitarist Jake Evans of UK act Rambo and Leroy — already has recorded an album, which is due out in October.

Sumner tells the BBC the group will tour later this year and is eyeing 2010 festival dates.

“I’m very proud of it, it’s a very good album,” Sumner says of the as-yet-untitled disc. “It’s pretty guitary too because we’ve got three guitarists in the band.” (courtesy slicingupeyeballs.com)

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry Deluxe Edition Defectives

Some of the units shipped out have a problem with Disc 1, if you have a customer that buys one of these units here is Rhino's solution per their website:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some customers may have purchased a copy of the Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary Edition with lower than normal audio levels on Disc 1. The error was corrected as soon as it was discovered, however some defective copies were shipped to online shoppers and retail stores. If the edition you purchased has a defective Disc 1 and you would like a replacement, please email Dr. Rhino (Dr.Rhino@rhino.com) with TWISTED SISTER as the subject line for further instructions.

Justin Vernon of Bon Iver announces side project details.

Though he's been busy writing the follow-up to last years For Emma, Forever Ago in-between shows this year, he has also continuously been writing and recording with Wisconsin collective and friends Collections Of Colonies Of Bee's for the past three years under the name Volcano Choir.

Those three years have culminated in this; their debut record Unmap due September 22nd via the Jagjaguwar. (strangeglue.com)

Please let this be true.

Word on the street is that Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones are holed up in Homme's LA studio recording an album. This could be incredible.

Q-Tip's 2001 album "Kamaal the Abstract" coming out 8 years later!

His 2001 album, shelved by the label, will finally be released on Sept. 15th.

From Pitchfork: In 2001, Tip almost released an experimental jazz-pop album called Kamaal the Abstract. It didn't include much actual rapping, and it predated Andre 3000's The Love Below by two years. Q-Tip produced it himself, even playing several instruments on it. A couple of former Miles Davis sidemen also sat in. He recorded the album after scoring a pair of massive dance-rap hits with "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop"; Kamaal the Abstract ranks as one of the greatest stylistic left turns in pop history. When we got a five-song sampler from the album at my college radio station, it sounded like one of the weirdest things I'd ever heard.

However, back in 2001, J Records, Q-Tip's label at the time, declined to release the album at the last minute. Here's how Q-Tip described the situation to me: "I did an album, Kamaal the Abstract, and [J Records founder Clive Davis] dug it. It went out to press. People were really liking it. It was, at the time, some other shit, and I guess he just got cold feet." The album was heavily bootlegged, but now, eight years later, it'll finally see official release on September 15 via Battery Records. Get ready to get weirded out.

Clutch and Discovery bumped until 7/14

Gaslight Anthem performing "59 Sound" with Bruce Springsteen

the 59 sound - bruce springsteen & gaslight anthem( glasto )
by runawaydream

Random cool MJ photo

Pitchfork gives Major Lazer an 8.1 rating

"Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do"! is out now. New project from Switch and Diplo. Great album cover. LP version comes out on July 21st.