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Archive for May, 2006

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Kingblind.com news that you can use

Thom Yorke’s album leaks online

Details on new Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy record emerge

X, Rollins Band tour ‘As the World Burns’

The Go! Team want Kevin Shields

Ween plots tour as work on new album continues

MSTRKRFT’s Jesse F. Keeler: Death From Above felt like a side project

Kingblind Downloads

Shapes and Sizes:: Wilderness
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Sufjan Stevens:: The Henney Buggy Band
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Camera Obscura:: Let’s Get Out Of This Country
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Black Heart Procession:: Not Just Words
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The Charlatans UK:: Blackened Blue Eyes
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Twilight Singer:: Powder Burns (Album Review)

Addiction, as Greg Dulli knows, is an all-consuming occupation. Finding your next fix is what drives every move, every breathe, every word. It is your devil and it is your god, your sickness and your well-being. It is, in short, your entire life. And so the fact that Dulli sobered up in the time between the Twilight Singers’ previous album, She Loves You, and Powder Burns doesn’t make it surprising that this latest release is about that disease. But Dulli’s too smart — and was too intimately involved with drugs — to make a nice, clean record with easy, straightforward statements that float like bubbles into his audience’s outstretched, pudgy fingers. Instead, he spits and growls and coughs questions into our thin, gaping faces, questions that he knows have no answers, and that even if they did, he wouldn’t want to hear them anyway. Because Powder Burns is too personal. It’s a debate within Dulli himself, an argument that twists and wrenches itself through 11 different conversations and ends up with nothing more than a sigh and a wistful prayer for salvation. Musically, the album is as hard as the group has ever gotten. From the intense, driving opener that crashes into “I’m Ready” like a wall of water, to the hedonistic snarl in “My Time (Has Come),” Dulli is pure carnal emotion. Even in the slower songs, with the slinking drums of “Candy Cane Crawl,” or the greasy, nasally promises he offers in “Forty Dollars,” it’s nothing but his own blood that’s pushing the music along, pulsing with the beat itself. Though he’s singing from different perspectives, trying to take on other personas, it’s obvious that everything he’s saying is about him, his own problems, his own story. The songs reference each other, reference other songs and literary works, bite into one another like a pack of hungry dogs and leave blood and patches of hair wherever they’ve been, but continue to limp down that smudged path that separates pleasure from pain. And Dulli’s a genius at straddling that line, sliding into that muddy spot between sobriety and being high (“daylight is creeping, I feel it burn my face,” he moans), that dangerous place between the flame and the coals, where he crouches, the hair on the back of his hands singed, hoping that maybe somehow he’ll be able to get out successfully. If Powder Burns is any indication of his strength and cunning, he’s already found an escape. (by Marisa Brown)

Kingblind Downloads

The Kinks – *British Biscuit* [Live Soap Opera] excellent (ex) quality FM broadcast, 1975
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Johnny Cash:: Hurt (Video)
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Bettye LaVette “Let Me Down Easy” (video)
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The Clash – Chaos in New York (Live @ Bonds International Casino, June ’81)
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Monday, May 29, 2006

Neil Young:: Living with War (Album Review)

May 4th, 1970: The National Guard attempts to restore order at Kent State University by killing its students. After days of protests (sparked by the discovery of the Nixon Administration’s illegal bombing of Laos and Cambodia, expanding the parameters of the War in Vietnam) that saw the burning of the school’s ROTC building, the Guard decided to show who was in charge. Amid a hail of rocks, the unit retreated to higher elevation. They then made an about face, in unison (clearly following an order), and opened live fire. Four students were killed and nine wounded, including at least one who had nothing to do with the protests 700 feet away. No one was ever prosecuted.

The Kent State Massacre was the turning point in the anti-war movement, because it made its participants face up to reality. The debate that followed it wasn’t whether the Guard’s actions were defensive (since no serious person can look at photographic evidence and argue so) but whether they were meritorious in the face of unpatriotic and ungrateful youth, and the prevailing answer by the silent majority was “yes.” Power was show its ugly, brutal face that day, and the Decent People of America had backed it, none tougher than they. Suddenly there was no time for sentimentality; suddenly it was serious, and stakes were even higher for them than previously thought. They were, finally, on their own.

David Crosby was the group’s outspoken politico, but only Neil Young could’ve written “Ohio” for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. No one else had the spook, for one thing, to come up with the dread, anger and sheer confusion of the song’s opening riff. But Young had the instincts to leave well enough alone, to simply present Points A and B as fait accompli. It was connecting dots without giving the connectors, sheer juxtaposition. “Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming / we’re finally on our own.” “Soldiers are gunning us down / shoulda been done long ago.” There’s not even a second verse; where one would appear is just a cruel parody, harmonies that are barked and not sung. And why not? “Ohio” wasn’t for the kids, it was for Nixon: they were singing to dogs. This wasn’t “We Shall Overcome,” but “Fuck You, You Monster.” That’s why “Ohio” is probably the best thing CSNY ever did, because it’s the point on record where it has something to lose, where something matters.

It’s hard to judge whether the stakes are there during Living With War, appearing almost thirty-six years to the day of Kent State. One would think so: one found in the floodwaters of New Orleans a mirror to the moral bankruptcy in the Bush administration impossible to spin away, to say nothing of an illegal invasion of Iraq and a now threatened nuclear war with Iran. “The news is not for a sick man,” James Baldwin wrote in one of his novels. “It’s not for a well man, either.” So why does the music Young wrote for this project sound pastoral; why does it sound like a party? He enlists a 100 piece choir to help him with a few melodies, and for his part he gives them very strong ones, stronger than anything on his last three records (more like ten). Save for the ragged “Shock and Awe,” everything on here sounds like coffeehouse bonhomie, “We Shall Overcome” and no “Fuck You Monster.” (Although there is a ditty called “Here’s a Pie in Your Face, Lying Monster,” since retitled “Let’s Impeach the President.” It’s stupid, broad-stroked fun, but it is fun, doubtless because it’s pinching the melody from “The City of New Orleans,” but so what? Folk music and rock n’ roll have rampant plagiarism in common, and good thing. Besides, the president did lie, and he should be impeached.)

Of course the stakes are still there, but the parameters are different. For one thing, today we have an all-volunteer army fighting an unpopular war (the poverty draft notwithstanding). Another, the right wing is now far more organized than the left ever was, to the point where even the sneak attack of Living With War was met with coordinated anti-Canadian talking points. So the audience has changed, and like “Ohio,” this album is written for that audience, the one that doesn’t see itself as exceptionally radical but clings to a forgotten sense of outrage and parade.

That audience sees these things as patriotic, hence the allusions to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the closing “America the Beautiful.” This is a loaded gesture and deeply unsatisfactory in a protest record, because it’s primarily defensive. I say it’s a loaded gesture because patriotism is the rug under which crimes are swept, and it’s defensive for that same reason. You’re saying that just because I criticize my country’s policy actions doesn’t mean I don’t love my country, elementary to the point of obvious everywhere else but here. But in attempting to give lie to criminals wrapping themselves in the flag, one instead gives recognition to the fallacy that the flag is somehow bulletproof. Young seems to recognize this elsewhere on the record: on “Flags of Freedom,” he muses on soldiers marching past American Flags to their deaths, asking if you believe in yours or theirs. He talks about coffins wrapped in flags (flags as a weapon of obscurity, as a mask of the death of the young, the world’s ultimate crime) in no less than two songs. This means either he wants it both ways or that, again, he’s singing for his audience, who recognizes that they have no truck with egghead theorists anymore than the scum who inhabits their capital.

And I’m fine with that, especially since Living at War is, really, Young’s best record since at least Mirror Ball and probably Ragged Glory. I think this has less to do with his outrage over the present administration as much as he’s in his best mode: moving quickly. This is the one thing good rock n’ roll has in common with revolutionary politics: these things represent youth, and so they have to happen immediately, as soon as possible, because they represent both the impatient tendencies of youth and the movement, the vitality of things that are wildly and irrepressibly alive. That doesn’t leave enough time for nuance, but that’s partially the point, because you have the force of the wave behind you, poised to crash and wash it all away. I’ve no idea whether it will change a damn thing about American politics or just make life harder on Young with immigration, but if there’s ever going to be another time like the sixties of youth, outrage and culture, it needs to happen the way he’s just prescribed it. (Review by-Christopher Alexander)

Kingblind.com news that you can use

20 crazy facts about Gnarls Barkley
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Ministry Plots Final Disc
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Neko Case sets up another ‘Flood’ of tour dates
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Idlewild singer goes solo
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Friday, May 26, 2006

Desmond Dekker Dies Of Heart Attack

* Jamaican reggae pioneer Desmond Dekker, famed for the genre’s first worldwide hit with “Israelites,” has died of a heart attack at his home in England, the Jamaica Observer reported on Friday (May 26).
* The newspaper said the singer/songwriter, whose 1960s fame was eclipsed the following decade by Bob Marley, died on Wednesday.
* In 1969, he enjoyed his biggest success with the propulsive reggae classic “Israelites,” four years before Marley truly brought reggae into the mainstream.

Desmond Dekker:: Rude Boy Train [MP3]
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Snow Patrol “Eyes Open” (Album Review)

The best thing that Snow Patrol have ever done is the beautifully maudlin break-through epic single ‘Run’. This is no idle statement but more of an identifiable factor to what the band can achieve if they really put their heart into it. Snow Patrol’s other most successful knack is to write catchy yet simple songs that are easily hummable, uplifting and radio-friendly. Whilst their first two albums (1998’s “Song For Polarbears” and 2001’s “When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up”) didn’t really gain themselves more than a small but rabidly loyal fan-base, the sophomore release of the 2004 album “Final Straw” pushed them, over the course of a couple of months, into the mainstream. The album was a huge turning point for the band: their success brought them a busy headline tour, a support slot for U2, and even an all-too-short appearance at Live8 last summer.

The band’s formula of hands-aloft sing-a-longs (designed to lift the roof of concert arena’s round the world) saw both the album and band charmingly poke their way into the collective consciousness. Whilst Radiohead (or, to a lesser extent, Blur) have experimented heavily in the studio, distancing themselves from former glories instead of trading on them (yes Oasis, I’m looking at you), Snow Patrol – like Coldplay last year – use the old adage of “if it ain’t broke…” Without going down the risky road of trying to discover a new/different sound/genre, Snow Patrol instead get down to what they do best: songs that don’t just tug on the heartstrings, but instead swing from them proclaiming how hard life can be. Ironically, their greatest asset (like Oasis back in their own glory days) is to see the good in everything: they make even the most depressing situation have an upbeat and positive side – “every cloud has a silver lining…” and other Hallmark clichés – and this lack of negativity is somewhat appealing.

The album starts with the cheery swirling jingle-jangle of lead single ‘You’re All I Have’ (in America, ‘Hands Open’ is the first single released from “Eyes Open” instead), which shimmies its way into your brain, in the same infectious way that ‘Chocolate’ did two summers previously. In fact, the vast majority of the tracks on this album have a light and sunny vibe to them, but with darker lyrics. For instance, the aforementioned ‘Hands Open’ couples stompy guitar with angst-ridden (as usual) lyrics like “Why Would I sabotage / the best thing that I have?” Gary Lightbody makes intimate relationships (and the impending break-up or fall-out) sound as if the listener is welcome in such a voyeuristic intrusion. The songs on this album seem specifically designed to lift the spirits with beefy sing-a-longs, and ‘Hands Open’ is a perfect example: just imagine, with lighters aloft and flags waving everywhere, the words “Hands Open and my eyes open / I just keep hoping that your heart opens” sung out to you. Deliciously heart-warming isn’t it?! If you like that sort of thing naturally.

The obvious album stand-out (and perhaps most ‘Run’-esque song of the bunch) is the utterly glorious ‘Make This Go On Forever’. Over a simple and quietly understated piano intro, Lightbody implores: ‘Please don’t let this turn into something it’s not / I can only give you everything I’ve got’. As the guitar begins its gentle strumming and the background vocals and orchestra swell, the song hits a Phil Spector wall-of-sound choir that, fittingly, you wish WOULD go on forever. Although I’m cynical of emotion-by-numbers dirge, you cannot help but feel this song naturally wash over you, all the while cursing yourself for falling victim to yet another slow-burning ballad – all the way to its begging “please just save me from this darkness” outro. If ‘Run’ was Snow Patrol’s ‘The Scientist’, then ‘Make This Go On Forever’ is their ‘Fix You’. As an extension to this, “Eyes Open” is a front-runner to challenge Coldplay’s overplayed and strangely barren “X&Y”.
By J. M. Ross.

Dr Octagon Decipher Series Week 4 of 8

The Setting:
3 AM, A wet, but warm late night, or should we say early morn, in the Bronx. Def Jukie Rob Sonic finds himself, as he has many times, at his favorite joint, The Telicatessen. His head in his hands, elbows on the table, over a cup of the blackest cup of Joe this side of 110th Street, he recounts the events to the evening.

Earlier That Night:
A blowout party downtown was taking place in the honor of slain sucker MCs. Rob place at the bar was firmly in place when a hand drops on his left shoulder. As he turns to find no one there he returns face forward to a small box on the bar. “What the … “

The box reads “for your eyes only.” He expects it’s a joke played on him and decides to pause on the opening.

Back at The Telicatessen:
A strange headache has descended on Rob by this point and the short stack with sausage hasn’t helped the cause. A solid stroke of the cloth napkin to clean his lips and leaves his staring back at the mysterious box. “Screw it …” he mumbles to himself as he grabs the knife beside him, gives the box a shake and digs in. The contents reveal two things; a CD burn labeled “Dr Octagon” with a sharpie and a note from OCD saying:

“This is what I wanted you to hear.”

“What ever…” He says to himself as he drops two Lincolns on the table face down and nods to the cute waitress behind the counter.

As Rob looks up and head to the door he swears he see from the corner of his eye two beady eyes glowing green through the window. But it’s late and he plays it off to exhaustion.

On the way to the car an eerie feeling of being followed consumes him. Nothing but shadows behind him yet still the feeling persists. His pace quickens… Movement to his right… Shuffles heard to the left … and a strange musty smell floats in the air. He darts to the car and locks the door with a feeling of momentary safety.

The disc still in hand, he slips it in the player and kicks on the ignition. The track begins, the gas peddle descends and he pulls off. Soon after Rob feels a sharp shock as his car is bumped from behind. Looking in the rearview mirrors, he sees a green pick up truck, just inches behind him. A large, dark, muscle-bound figure is behind the wheels. The pickup drops back and smashes them again. This time, a tail light is broken off. Rob expels expletives “What the F#@k!”

Rob accelerates, pushing 70 mph, trying to escape this madman insisting on a dangerous high-speed chase. The truck changes left, then right, then back again trying to overtake Rob’s vehicle. Rob glances at the gas tank gauge on his dashboard – It’s getting close to empty. Rob is surprised; he distinctly remembers filling up just earlier that day. Rob searches for a truck stop but there doesn’t seem to be any in sight. Bam! The truck hits him again.

He turns back…
“ What The …!? Is that a gorilla?”

The rest unfolds …as such.

“A Gorilla Driving A Pick-Up Truck” – Rob Sonic Road Rage Remix MP3

The Return Of Dr Octagon hits stores June 27th
http://www.thereturnofdroctagon.com

For More on Rob Sonic
http://www.robsonic.com/

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Kingblind news that you can use

Radiohead reveal tour secrets

A Hick Hicks win Idol

Ian Copeland, Dead at 57 of Melanoma

Kaiser Chief Hit by Car, Doing Okay

Kingblind’s Downloads

Wolfmother “Woman (Avalanches Millstream Remix)
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Them Two:: Am I a Good Man (Great soul track)
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The Who:: Ontario Canada 10-31-76 (One of Keith Moon’s final live performances)
PART 1
PART 2

Mr. Bungle (EARLY DEMOS & LIVE)
Bowel of Chiley demo
Goddamnit! I Love America
Live Mr. Bungle

Rolling Stones demo/outtakes session, from the Let It Bleed sessions.
Part 1
Part 2

Elf Power:: Back to the web (Album Review)

I’m sitting in my room at the Howard Johnson in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Half drunk, completely out of my mind on a rainbow of prescriptions, my eyes focus through the window, looking out on Chocolate Lake. In a few hours the sun will rise and I will be enjoying the Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast: Cereal, juice, milk, doughnuts, bagels and other assorted random breakfast goodies. You all more than likely know the drill. I have spent most of the evening in the company of two female art students from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, drinking, discussing the sad state of Canadian baseball and partaking in what we in my imaginary world of amateur journalism call “Hand to Hand Combat.”

Management has been here 3 times to ask me to quiet down. I’m told if they have to come back to my room for a fourth time the police won’t be too far behind. Now this is where a reasonable man would throw caution to the wind. Pfft!!! Fat chance! Besides, I got work to do.

First, let me be honest, I was not very familiar with the work of Elf Power. I’ve seen the name thrown around in the blogosphere, heard a few songs, stuck my foot in to check the water so to speak. Hailing from Athens, Georgia and associated with the Elephant 6 Collective, which includes bands such as Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal and Apples In Stereo, I wasn’t exactly sure what was in store for me.

This record grabbed me right away. The opener, “Come Lie Down With Me (And Sing My Song)” is grainy, like an old silent film.I picture a sad group of musicians dressed in rags playing some forgotten mountain song. But before you really have time to soak it in, track two bursts forward with a pounding war cry of drums. I cringe saying this, but “An Old Familiar Scene” is Decemberistsesque. The Decemberists comparison isn’t a bad thing though. I like the Decemberists, and perhaps in my not knowing enough of this band’s history that could be seen as foolish. But, the difference being, in my opinion, is that Andrew Rieger’s singing is easier on my ears than Colin Meloy’s. In fact, I really like Andrew Rieger’s voice a lot. It’s warm and so full of emotion. You can hear that he is confident in his writing and singing

> From an email of information I received, courtesy of trusted
informer/enforcer mblind, Rieger is quoted as saying, “I was listening to a lot of middle eastern folk and gypsy music when I started writing these songs and I tried to emulate some of those sounds by combining 12 string acoustic guitar with violin and accordion. Our last album was more of a straight ahead rock record, so in reaction this one came out as more of a dark, orchestrated folk rock album.”

I can hear these influences in the music, especially on “Somewhere Down The River.” The first 32 seconds are some indecipherable chanting buried under a mix of middle eastern sounding horns and drums. Then the guitar jangles in and the spiral downward begins. In the middle of the song the organ joins and I recall the wild dancing girl/organ scene at the meat locker party from “Ed Wood” where Sarah Jessica Parker’s character leaves Johnny Depp afterwards. Now maybe I’m not remembering it exactly clearly, but damn it, that’s how I see it in my head. Anyways, moving on.

The musicians are amazing. I hear the violin, mandolin, accordion and acoustic guitars played with such beauty that it’s hard to believe that I’m not hearing this in an elevator in Heaven. The only song I didn’t find to fit the overall feel of this record was “All The World Is Waiting.” It’s a great song though, in a cast off 70′s Rolling Stones outtake kinda way. The album closes with “Back To The Web.” Which is the perfect ending for this record. “Come back to the web” calls Rieger. What exactly the web is, I’m not sure. It could be a metaphor for the band returning to it’s past, or maybe the second coming of that tangled web of lies we call human existance. Who knows? I sure don’t.
Only one man truly does, and he wants you to explore his world fully to try to find your own meaning. Most of the songs are in the same vein, mid-tempo and swirling with beautiful imagery drawn from Andrew Rieger’s words.
Another thing I enjoyed about this record was the length of the songs. They aren’t really that long, so I don’t lose interest easily. Most songs clock in about or under three and a half minutes, making this a relatively short record. Usually I might gripe about this, but this one didn’t bother me. I liked this record. I suggest you get this record if you don’t have it already. Also, if you’re unfamiliar with Elf power and their past work, check into that as well.

The Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast has come and gone. Management has confiscated my boombox I bought so I could listen to this record because I brought it to their so-called community dining area. It was either that or this time they were calling the cops for real. Now I’m forced to listen to it through headphones on my laptop. Bastards. I hope they at least enjoy their newfound boombox and record for the time being, because when I wake up later today I will cause an international incident if I don’t get my stuff back. (Review by: Casey Schroeder)

Kanye, YYYs, Modest Mouse Play San Diego Street Scene

San Diego’s Street Scene festival will soon show California’s (legal) drinkers up with a party not even “My Super Sweet Sixteen” has a shot at topping. Since the fest features delicious food, fire dancers, aerial acrobatics, a burlesque act, a drag show, a drum circle, carnival rides, arts and crafts, and of course, a recently revealed list of live musical acts, the RSVPs must be rolling in.

This year’s event, scheduled to take place August 4 and 5 outside of the city’s Qualcomm Stadium, will feature performances from the sizable (Kanye West, Tool, Social Distortion, Snoop Dogg, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Wu Tang Clan), the spirited (The Futureheads, Bloc Party, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Editors), and the slightly stupid (Slightly Stoopid). The lineup, not yet finalized, is as follows:

Tool, Kanye West, Sean Paul, Social Distortion, Snoop Dogg, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Queens of the Stone Age, Wu Tang Clan, the Futureheads, My Chemical Romance, Lupe Fiasco, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Bloc Party, the Subways, Editors, Dirty on Purpose, AFI, Bad Religion, G. Love & Special Sauce, Tricky, Particle, Yellowcard, Steel Pulse, Slightly Stoopid, Matchbook Romance, Donavon Frankenreiter, Rock Kills Kid, Bedouin Soundclash, West Indian Girl, Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited, Ska Cubano, What Made Milwaukee Famous, the Shys, Cheb I Sabbah & 1002 Nights, Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s, the Colour, Mutaytor, Lydia, the Amazing Yard Dogs Road Show, more

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

The “hidden messages” in pop songs if you play them backwards. Here you can hear them… To my sweet satan…
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Os Mutantes: 2006-05-22, London
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Mogwai 2006-5-11 Philadelphia, PA
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Deerhoof: free EP
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Kingblind.com news that you can use

Red Hot Chili Peppers accused of plagiarism

KISS coffee coming to carolina

Deerhoof bassist quits for side project

Eric Bachmann is off ‘To the Races’

Kaiser Chief frontman hit by car

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Kingblind.com news that you can use

Rough Trade Deny They Dropped Babyshambles
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Arctic Monkeys released statement about the departure of bassist Andy Nicholson
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Ray Davies plans more tour dates
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MIA denied entry to US
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Gnarls Barkley remain on top of UK chart
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Grandaddy:: Just Like The Fambly Cat (Album Review)

Set on fire with some of the most brilliant power-pop blazes the band has ever produced, Grandaddy’s tomb sails out to sea with this Viking funeral of a send-off. Waving good-bye from shore, hardcore devotees and casual appreciators will be comforted by the knowledge that Grandaddy didn’t die in vain. Valhalla is Jason Lytle’s destination, and even if he’s never heard from again, his reputation as the great bearded king – I don’t recognize the new clean-shaven masquerade – of wistful, wide-eyed, rapturous space-pop is secure.

When it’s just a speck on the horizon, Just Like the Fambly Cat will be fondly remembered as the quintessential Grandaddy album, a Jason Lytle joint that somehow managed to please everybody without really trying. That was something the commercial and artistic flop that was Sumday couldn’t do. Another difficult birth that wound up actually killing Grandaddy this time, Just Like the Fambly Cat swerves recklessly from radiation-burnt rockers like “Jeez Louise,” with its squirrelly electronic twitter, and “50%,” a punched-up blast of punk, into swaying, sun-dappled hayfields of melody like “Campershell Dreams” and “Where I’m Anymore,” with its quirky chorus of meows and delightfully lazy instrumentation. A song about dislocation and loss of identity, “Where I’m Anymore” is pure pop gold, with its easy string movements and sparkling guitar providing calming contrast to the nervous uncertainty and longing in the lyrics. Though to be fair, it almost sounds like a love song dedicated to the wonderfully strange living environment of Lytle’s native California, surprising considering his recent move to Montana and his double-barreled critique of the state’s rampant commercialism in Excerpts Of The Diary Of Todd Zilla.

Where Sumday sabotaged its own ambition by trying to have it both ways with arrangements that were both radio-friendly and just plain weird, Just Like the Fambly Cat does a simple about face and returns to traditional Lytle values. If you’ve been gazing at the skies or dumpster-diving behind computer stores looking for signs of a Sophtware Slump revival, Lytle rewards your patience with the beautifully contoured “The Animal World,” a wandering, space-pop epic laid on a waterbed of acoustic guitar strum and keyboard waves. A feast for the senses, “The Animal World,” with its shooting-star synthesizers and benign animal chattering, is a night under the stars that segues into the cheery instrumental sunrise “Skateboarding Saves Me Twice,” the closest Grandaddy has ever sounded to Daft Punk. Hiding in the bush, you’ll find the melancholic acoustic folk of “Summer…It’s Gone,” a song seemingly connected by an umbilical cord to Sophtware Slump, as is the vaporous “Guide Down Denied.”

Perhaps the most bi-polar record Grandaddy has ever made, Just Like the Fambly Cat lacks the cohesive flow of what is considered the band’s finest hour, the never-ending dreamscape that was the Sophtware Slump. Delicate piano plays with blistering, ADD guitar. Keyboards that sound hot-wired, over-driven and crunchy in a track like “Disconnecty” will decompress and sigh like all of heaven exhaling in “This Is How It Always Starts.” There’s room for infectious Casio-toned pop nuggets like “Elevate Myself,” a modern take on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s back-to-nature empowerment trip, and dying, incidental piano music and adorable children repeatedly asking, “What happened to the fambly (sic) cat?” until they’re drowned out by a meltdown coda.

“I don’t want to drift no more,” sings Lytle in “Guide Down Denied,” and it sounds like a mission statement. Freed from the pressures of running the Grandaddy franchise, Lytle may find happiness and serenity in the woods, and that could translate into more frequent recording activity from our favorite former skateboarder. Or, perhaps 20 years from now, we’ll see Lytle on the news in handcuffs, arrested for threatening corporate kingpins with anthrax-laced letters or releasing animals targeted for testing makeup or perfume products. Whatever the case, if this is Lytle’s last musical missive, he’s left us with a complete, if unfocused, dossier of his genius. (Review by P. Lindblad)

Monday, May 22, 2006

Kingblind’s Top 10 songs of the summer

Here is a little comp that Kingblind has put together for you featuring the our top 10 songs for the summer. All tracks are from 2006 releases. Burn a CD or Put em’ on your iPod and enjoy the sun!

Calexico:: Cruel
Tuscon’s finest sons release another beautiful gem
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Elf Power:: Old Famliliar Scene
Athens, GA group releases their best single ever. I have listened to this song about 100 times this week. I just love it
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Band of Horses:: Great Salt Lake
Seattle’s best new group. A lush and expansive track.
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Gnarls Barkley:: Crazy
ATL is in the house. If there was a single track that is the soundtrack of summer this is it.
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Tapes N’ Tapes:: Insistor
Minneapolis is back baby. This is good stuff. Must be something in the water there
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Gullemots:: Trains to Brazil
London’s best and brightest. Just a fun song.
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Yeah Yeah Yeah’s:: Cheated Hearts
NYC/LA trio is back with an amazing new record. This is our favorite track.
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Be your own pet:: Adventure
Nashville, TN. These kids remind me why I started playing music in the first place.
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Wolfmother:: Women
Aussie trio rocks like Sabbath & ELP. Turn it to 11
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Mogwai:: Folk Death 95
Scotland’s post rock gods. Man alive I love this band. On the fast track to album of the year.
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This week in new album releases

Angels & Airwaves: We Don’t Need To Whisper [cd]
Anjani: Blue Alert [cd]
Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock And Roll (US release) [cd]
Bedroom Walls: All Good Dreamers Pass This Way [cd]
Bloodhag: Hell Bent for Letters [cd]
Current 93: Black Ships Ate the Sky [cd]
Danko Jones: Sleep Is the Enemy [cd]
Def Leppard: Yeah! [cd]
Delaney & Bonnie: Home [cd]
Ditty Bops: Moon Over the Freeway [cd]
Dixie Chicks: Taking The Long Way [cd]
Don Peris: Go When the Morning Shineth [cd]
Dr. John: Mercernary [cd]
Halifax: The Inevitability of a Strange World [cd]
Harry Nilsson: Everybody’s Talkin’: The Very Best of Harry Nilsson [cd]
The Heavy Blinkers: The Night and I Are Still So Young [cd]
John Zorn: Moonchild [cd]
Johnny Cash: Personal File [cd]
Mission Of Burma: The Obliterati [cd]
Osaka Popstar: Osaka Popstar & the American Legends of Punk [cd]
Pat DiNizio: This Is Pat Dinizio [cd]
Phoenix: It’s Never Been Like That [cd]
Pete Seeger: American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 4 [cd]
Rhonda Vincent: All American Bluegrass Girl [cd]
Sierra Swan: Ladyland [cd]
Slaid Cleaves: Unsung [cd]
Tilly and the Wall: Bottoms of Barrels [cd]
Various Artists: Big Star Small World [cd]
Various Artists: Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways [cd]
Various Artists: Forever Neil Diamond [cd]
Various Artists: Harlan County USA: Songs of the Coal Miner’s Struggle [cd]
Various Artists: Rockin with Morrisey’s Side Men [cd]
Various Artists: Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey (soundtrack) [cd]
Vetiver: To Find Me Gone [cd]
The Walkmen: A Hundred Miles Off [cd]

Saturday, May 20, 2006

HBO Cancels Deadwood?

HBO has confirmed that it will not pick up the contract options for Deadwood cast members, indicating that the upcoming third season of the cuss-happy western may be its last.
CLICK FOR COMPLETE STORY

Friday, May 19, 2006

Dr Octagon Decipher Series Week 3 of 8

Dark clouds have descended over the OCD offices. It’s been three weeks since receiving the mysterious package from the good Doctor and they are nowhere closer to deciphering his message for the people of earth. What’s worst is their two previous code crackers have become useless. Mike Relm has been only responding in binary code, which when deciphered, says

“Times up Ants move with the bell”

The Gray Kid has been committed to a mental hospital. They last heard he has been scribbling on the walls:

“Look at them crawl, look at them climb up the wall, like roaches”

Nervous, anxious, and paranoid, all seems lost for the people of OCD. After putting their heads together, they turn their attention to the Northern CA hills. Placing a call on the purple phone, it rings 14 times only to receive this message:

“Sorry, Her Space Holiday is not in right now. We are out on a global tour teaching a 12-part dissertation on how the past presents the future: a study of audiological time travel. Please leave you message after the beat beat beat.”

Defeated, devastated and defunct, the OCD feels the walls closing in on them. The despair lies on top of them like the weight of the world. Not a word is spoken. Then the purple phone rings. As it’s picked up, someone yells, “Track that call!”

OCD Operator: How did you get this number?
The Money Fight: That is not important. We hear you have… some problems.
OCD Operator: Who is this? Where are you from?
TMF: We are The Money Fight. Where we are from is of no importance, what is important is that you listen closely.
OCD Tracker: It’s coming from LA
OCD Operator: What do you want?
TMF: You must listen. We hear you received a package. We received the same package 5 years ago. Upon opening it, destruction and chaos descended upon our society. People were almost crushed under a weight of despair and grief. We were nearly decimated as a people.
OCD Tracker: Wait, its New York. Keep them talking.
OCD Operator: What happened?
TMF: We thought all was lost. Villages burned, people terrorized each other in the streets, and our society was reduced to almost nothing. That was until we were able to break the code. Through a combination of modern technology, audiological innovations and numerous sacrifices, we were able to save our great society. We were almost able to undo the damage. Almost. We hear two of your people have been infected.
OCD Tracker: Australia!
OCD Operator: Yes, can you help them?
TMF: Yes, we can. You are safe for now. And if you ever find the ‘good’ doctor, tell him we are coming for him.
OCD Tracker: Saturn?
OCD Operator: Hello? Hello?

All is silent again. Had that all been a prank? Suddenly all the computers light up and the stereo switches on. A whistle blows. As the beat drops, and the strings soar, all begins to look up at the OCD office.

And we go “la, la, la, laaaaaa….”

Ants (the money fight fire ants remix)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Return Of Dr Octagon hits stores June 27th
http://www.thereturnofdroctagon.com

(The Money Fight is Marc of Her Space Holiday and Hanni el Khatib)
For more info on Her Space Holiday and Money Fight log onto

http://www.herspaceholiday.com

Lou Reed / John Cale Live in Paris
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXbgdj1Pd_w]
“In the beginning of ’72 three ex-members of the Velvet Underground – Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico – were touring in Europe at the same time, and decided to meet themselves for just one magical concert in a club called Le Bataclan, in Paris. …”
ALSO:: Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico – Femme Fatale

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

<a href="http://rapidshare.de/files/11321894/
Ode_to_Deodorant___Brothers___Sisters.rar”>COLDPLAY 1st recording ever

The Strokes featuring Lou Reed “Walk on the wild side”

Snow Patrol Live on BBC Radio 1

Kingblind news that you can use

Major Labels sue XM Radio

DJ Shadow reveals all about ‘risky’ new record

Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz beat by Wallace and Gromit

Elbow frontman in Radiohead plea

Foo Fighters unveil acoustic tour

The Raconteurs “Broken Boy Soldiers” (Album Review)

Jack White has taken – with reason – a lot of criticism recently. Not content with four great albums under his belt (including 2001’s ‘White Blood Cells’, which borders on near-classic status along with The Strokes’ debut album), winning a Grammy for the mindfuckingly memorable single ‘Seven Nation Army’, and headlining numerous festivals all over the world (including the prodigious Glastonbury in 2005), he then proceeds to ruin this seemingly upward trajectory with a shit 5th Stripes album (well, except for about three good tracks on ‘Get Behind Me Satan’) and, horror of horrors, does an advert for Coca-Cola. He justifies it by mentioning the red/white colour aesthetic that both the soft drinks brand and his band constantly use as a way to, err, earn both loads of cash as well as disappointed fans that viciously cry “sell-out”.

Although their music has been very enjoyable, the soaring popularity of the White Stripes has become synonymous with zany storytelling/publicity – what’s with the Michael Jackson look-alike contest? Has he met up with Jason from the Von Bondies for a make-up drink? And is Meg his sister, lover or ex-wife? And that’s exactly what a Raconteur is: someone who tells stories or anecdotes with wit and skill. And this debut album has both in full supply. Thankfully free from such zaniness (I blame it on Meg), Jack White’s new pet-project (with buddy Brendan Benson – the alt Ryan Adams – and a rhythm section comprising of Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes) hits you immediately with its surprising sense of being genuinely fun. This, naturally, eases some of the growing negativity towards White’s shenanigans over the past 2 or so years.

If you’ve not heard the ridiculously off-beat first single ‘Steady, As She Goes’, then take it from me – it’s a cracker in the same vein as all of the previous Stripes’ lead singles: ‘Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground’, the aforementioned ‘Seven Nation Army’ and ‘Blue Orchid’. It doesn’t rely on an instantly hummable riff like these songs but, conversely, is all the better for it: going instead for the choppy guitar minimalism of Whites’ other band. The funny thing is that, although some of the album is very Stripes-esque, it also stands very well on its own, as a slower and more exacting psychedelic-sounding affair. ‘Broken Boy Soldiers’ thrives on its ability to provide catchy hooks and fetching melodies (the “oooh oooh” section 2 and a half minutes into ‘Hands’ for example), and I challenge anyone to not be singing ‘Girl, you got those hands…’ after a few days of listening to this song. In fact, most of the songs on the album are thunderously captivating, and the high standard of ‘Steady…’ never drops to anything less on the highly-enjoyable-meter. The nonsense lyrics of ‘Intimate Secretary’ sounds like the Eels attempting to do a George Harrison ‘Revolver’ composition, as does ‘Yellow Sun’, which will probably drive you mad with its addictive strumming and summery vibe: think of the hauntingly catchy Stripes single ‘My Doorbell’ but without the deliriously retarded lyrics.

The crunching guitar and White-sang duet (with himself) on ‘Level’ sounds like a mini ‘Ball and Biscuit’ and, coupled with the dejected hangover of ‘Call It A Day’, seems to consciously contrast to the general happy-go-lucky poppyness of the album. At a sparse 34 minutes, the album’s key is in its lack of filler. A couple of weeks ago I criticized Gnarls Barkley’s ‘St. Elsewhere’ because it was too short and, thus, seemed to run out of steam or, more tellingly, sounded more like a work-in-progress than a fully-finished album. Whilst roughly the same length, ‘Broken Boy Soldiers’ sounds more complete, more thought-through and, ultimately, all-the-more fun for it. I can’t wait to hear them live, because this album has restored my faith in Jack White completely. (By J. M. Ross.)

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

Kim Salmon & The Surrealists – Hit Me With The Surreal Feel
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Who – Demos For Quadrophenia
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Walkmen: “Louisiana” from A Hundred Miles Off
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Gossip: 2006-03-16, KVRX
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Streets:: The hardest way to make an easy living (Album Giveaway)

Kingblind.com and Vice Recording is giving away a vinyl copy of the new album from THE STREETS! (UPDATE: We are giving away 3 vinyl prize packs The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living + swag) The rules to enter are very simple just send an email to kingblind(at)gmail.com with THE STREETS in the subject line and your name and address in the body of the message. Remember, No Subject line and no address= No Win. So just follow these simple rules.

About The Streets:
The Streets’ first album – 2002′s Brit Award and Mercury Prize nominated Original Pirate Material – was a brilliantly witty and original snapshot of 21st century reality. It was also the next step forward for the great tradition of British pop songwriting which stretches from The Who and The Kinks, to Madness and The Specials, to Blur and Pulp. And a record with the power to unite the disparate tribes of UK dance music – the ravers, the hip-hop heads, the garagistas – in heartfelt appreciation of the joy and pain of the queue for a late-night kebab.

But the appeal of Original Pirate Material didn’t stop at the English Channel. The Streets’ infectious honesty (“You think I’m ghetto? Stop dreaming”) and snappily homespun production techniques have struck a chord with sharp-eared listeners all around the world, to the extent that the album has so far sold more than a million copies – reaching audiences as far afield as Brazil and Japan, and going top 30 in the US.

Two years on, with a whole new generation of sharp-tongued UK MC’s (from Dizzee Rascal a to Lady Sovereign) paying tribute to his influence, Mike Skinner is back. And within the first five seconds of his new single “Fit But You Know It” – a riotous celebration of package-holiday mating rituals destined to cause carnage on Europe’s dancefloors (All together now: “I reckon you’re about an eight or a nine, maybe even a nine and a half in four beers’ time”) – it’s already clear that he’s not just come up with a worthy successor to Original Pirate Material. He’s solved rap’s notorious “second album problem” into the bargain.

“Hip-hop”, Mike Skinner says, over an unusually abstemious Coke in his Stockwell local, “draws on different principles to other music. It’s not purely sonic pleasure: it’s conflict and action and story. It’s our old way of making records – which is rhythm and noise – combined with a little bit of The A-Team, and I love that. The problem is, it tends to hit a brick wall with the second album. When you listen to 50 Cent, you’re hearing a guy who you imagine goes around getting shot, and he doesn’t really – well, he did, but now he’s doing pretty much the same as I am: being interviewed, collecting awards, going to parties. And the big question is, how to hang on to that excitement you had before becoming successful, without pretending you’re still doing things you’re actually not?”

In May 2004 we’ll find out exactly how Skinner has hung on to this excitement when his hugely anticipated second album “A Grand Don’t Come For Free” hits the shelves. The album is a collection of songs linked together by a plots and subplots that whilst still reflecting the typical life of normal young Britain, shifts the overall focus from the society overviews of “Original Pirate Material” to the more personal, everyday twists of relationships, friendship and just getting by.

A Grand Don’t Come For Free was made in exactly the same way as its illustrious predecessor. That is, with Skinner working mostly at home, “supplying his own samples” (for example that savage glam-punk guitar on “Fit But You Know It” is not some horribly mangled offshoot of David Bowie’s “Jean Genie”, it’s Mike riffing it up on a borrowed Fender Telecaster), and friends coming back from the pub to contribute occasional background mayhem.

Beneath the bubbling stream-of-consciousness lyrics for which he is justifiably renowned (“and I’m thinkin’… and I’m thinkin…”), The Streets’ uniquely rough-edged production continues to rearrange the building blocks of the last fifteen years of dance music into bold and unexpected new shapes. Acid’s random bleeps, the euphoric piano sound of Italian House. Jungle’s spiralling sub-bass, Trance’s psychotropic drum surge, UK Garage’s sexy string stabs: they’re all in here somewhere, just in a very different order to the one they originally evolved in.

The only thing that’s really changed, in terms of the music, is the singing line-up. Wayney G and grimy Nottinghamshire garage siren C-Mone ably fill the story’s supporting roles, and with former vocal foil Kevin Mark Trail having signed a solo deal with EMI, there’s a new right-hand man – Leo second name to follow – emoting up a storm throughout soulful choruses about half-finished packets of Rizla’s.

Listen to A Grand Don’t Come For Free for the first time on the bus home or taking a sick dog to the vets, and all the little details will seep into your mind the same way sherry flavours a trifle. But put it on through headphones in the early hours of the morning and a whole imaginative new world opens up. Just as it did on first hearing Massive Attack’s Blue Lines or Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In Da Corner – or, indeed, The Streets’ Original Pirate Material.
BAND MEMBERS

MIKE SKINNER- Vocals, Production

DOWNLOADS
The Streets – Get Out Of My House (MC Remix)

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Kingblind’s favorite finds

From Russia, With Dread

Siskel and Ebert behind-the-scenes from 1987.

Remix David Byrne and Brian Eno’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

Who needs Axl when you have Fergie butchering GNR songs.

Most Excellent Songs Of Every Year Since 1967

Kingblind.com news that you can use

Danielson ship out

‘Banquet’ of Bloc Party shows

Perry Farrell readies album with new band Satellite Party

A Tribe Call Quest to reform

Death Cab for Cutie keeps rolling

Marley bass player loses royalty suit

Kingblind Downloads

Tilly and the Wall: “Lost Girls”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Stereolab: “Mudra”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Smiths: 1984-1987, television compilation DVD
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

TEENAGE FANCLUB 1992-2000 TV COMPILATION DVD
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Necros:: Live on Cable TV
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYiUChwZjKU]
Back when Cory Rusk was just starting Touch and Go Records he was in a band called The Necros. Touch and Go is now having their 25th anniversary Wow.. How things have changed.. Hope you all enjoy this little blast from the past.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Kingblind.com news that you can use

MC5 Bassist in Hospital

Beach Boys Countersued For $20 Million By Fan

Gnarls Barkley number one again in UK with ‘Crazy’

Thom Yorke solo album due in July

The Black Heart Procession:: The Spell (Album Review)

The Black Heart Procession is like a pack of sharks surrounding you, dangerous and ready to rip you limb from limb. You see your impending doom but choose to do nothing about it.
You’re hypnotized, you can’t move, seemlessly stuck in a moment from which there’s no escape. Now,the shark is a beautiful creature, but dangerous as well, and the music that the Black Heart Procession make falls into these two categories also. After 4 great albums you’d expect the novelty to wear out. But see, here’s the deal, it never does.

It’s a long drawn out death march and you’re invited to come, only if you leave your heart and expectations at the door.

The Spell is a return to form for the Black Heart Procession, picking up from where they left off with Amore Del Tropica. The past and the future combining to create a place where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s dark and cold, like a winter sunset. You pray daylight will never come and that the snow will continue to fall. But your mind races a million miles a minute and the shadows growing on your walls let you know that the end is further than once thought. Unable to focus, you slowly let the music take you away like a chose your own adventure book, never knowing where you’re being led. Themes of heartbreak, isolation, depression and hopelessness keep you warm in a false security, like a siren that has you in her trance.

Tobias Nathaniel takes a cue from the Nick Cave book of lyrical tricks, dark romantic stories that can only be told from the mouth of such a talented wordsmith. Plus, his piano work is amazing. But then again, I’m a sucker for piano and strings, and this record has both. The music is beautifully crafted, featuring members of Modest Mouse and the Album Leaf. Core members Tobias Nathaniel and Pall Jenkins stick to their guns. Creating an atmosphere for bleak nights and long days filled with sorrow. The guitar, violin and drums blend with the piano to create a spooky feeling of desperation. And when you think you can’t take anymore, they continue to tug at your heartstrings only the way that the Black Heart Procession can. The words and music give you the feeling of love gone bad. An empty space that comes from the painful realization that only heartbreak can bring. I could spout off standout tracks, but I believe their all standout tracks. There is not a disappointing song on this record. If you’re unfamiliar with the Black Heart Procession, start here, then work your way backwards. It will be well worth it. (By: Casey Schroeder)

Friday, May 12, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

Ministry:: Lies, Lies, Lies
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Elf Power:: An Old Familiar Scene
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Editors:: Orange Crush (REM Cover)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Mary Kate O’Neil:: Traffic Jam (Teenage Fanclub cover)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

RARE Deleted Star Wars Scene

Rare deleted scene from the original Star Wars starring Luke and some guy named Biggs Darklighter
CLICK TO VIEW

The Stills “Without Feathers” (Album Review)

The Stills’ 2004 debut “Logic Will Break Your Heart” was a pretty muted affair, with most pigeonholing it as an album Echo and The Bunnymen never released or, at best, lazy re-hashes of songs by The Smiths or Joy Division. Some refused to see them as nothing more than The Walkmen or Interpol tribute bands (The Stills even toured with the latter band in 2004), or a Poor Mans U2. Although “Logic…” had its fair share of lovely moments (“Animals and Insects” for example), it also left the listener with an overall feeling of anti-climax: a sense of it-was-getting-good-but-just-didn’t-tick-all-the-right-boxes. Reviews were fairly dismissive (Pitchfork gave it a 5.1 and a resounding MUST TRY HARDER: SEE ME AFTER CLASS), but The Stills have kept their heads down for the past 2 years in an attempt to show what they can do. And it is, for the most part, a great success.

The catchy boom-chikka guitar and tinkling piano line combination on album-opener “In The Beginning”, as well as the slow drawl of the refrain (‘It’s nice to see you’re moving on / I know it’s hard to carry on’) clearly shows a more determined group mindset this time – they’re back and can take the criticism. The fact that this album is a great improvement means that there won’t be too much aimed at them. The beautifully warm and bouncy guitar/piano combo of the opening track travels through the rest of the album, especially on standout track “It Takes Time”. The slow yet assured “She’s Walking Out” could have sounded like an overblown Embrace flag-waver but, through an understated chorus, the album steers clear of such pompous chest-beating production.

Most surprising is the Arcade Fire sound-a-like “Helicopters”, with its percussion and angular sound effects giving it a refreshingly jaunty vibe. The female background vocals on “Baby Blues” ground lyrics which would sound laughable otherwise: ‘But just like the sixties / We won’t get very far’ anyone?! The 12 tracks on “Without Feathers” are bright and breezy enough, with only a single track passing the 5-minute mark. By keeping the album short and immediate, The Stills now have an immensely enjoyable record under their belt, encapsulating the Californian sun and surf tinge of The Shins. (By J. M. Ross.)

The Return of Dr. Octogon Week 2 of 8

Chapter 2: AL GREAZY

When we last left off, Mike Relm started the Decipher Series by breakin’ down the history of the infamous Dr Octagon. But still unclear on what this new material was intended to mean, OCD has gone to their list of interpreters to get to the root of it.

Meanwhile on the Left Coast…

A hot, gray Los Angeles afternoon finds Gray Kid chillin’ on Venice Beach. Mac on his lap, posting to his blog, the Kid is interrupted by a pop-up window. It’s OCD on the I.M.

OCD: We need your services a.s.a.p.
GrayKid5678: Is there dough involved?
OCD: None, this is for the sake of all mankind.
Graykid5678: What are you talking about?
OCD: The Return of Dr. Octagon is upon us.
GrayKid5678: Oh word?
OCD: Yeah, we need you to decipher the hidden meaning of an audio track entitled “Al Green.” We believe it was sent to us by Dr. Octagon.
GrayKid5678: I thought that dude got got…
OCD: Just accept the File Transfer and get to work Kid.
GrayKid5678: Now you’re all bossy like? Whatever, I’m about it, but you owe me one holmes…

As the file transfer completes, the Kid queues the track in his media player and slips his headphones on. He pauses to observe the scene around him. Beautiful women in bikinis, bodybuilders with goatees, kids with rainbow colored waterguns. All is well. Yet, the Kid feels uneasy. He hesitates, then presses play.

The bass loop, the guitar stabs, the piano keys – the Kid is mesmerized. The hair on his neck jump to attention, his pupils harden and his veins begin to bulge. When the vocal drops, the Kid gasps and glances up. A large, hairy man dressed in traditional Pakistani garb stands before him. The man places his sweaty arms on the Kid’s shoulders, staring him down with eyes glowing neon green. The man speaks, oddly enough, with an urban American accent, “All you motherfuckers trying to be Al Green… Suckers, pack your shit!”

The Kid snatches his headphones off and shakes his head vigorously to snap out of the hallucination. The strange man gone, everything around him appears to be normal. Yet, convinced that something sinister is afoot, the Kid gets to work. He cuts and pastes and patches and scratches until the sun sets, until the investigative analysis is complete. He emails the results, the raw essence of the audio distilled via his skills as a pop chemist, off to OCD.

Now that business has been taken care of, the Kid smacks his lips contemplating the thought of slurping down a cool cerveza to relax with after all the day’s excitement. His left hand reaches into his pocket to pull out funds to turn this dream into a reality. He freezes.

“Yo! Where’s my money clip?”

Until next time…

PLACE REMIX HERE –
Al Green (The Gray Kid Al Greezy remix)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

For more on the Gray Kid – http://www.graykid.com/

The Return Of Dr Octagon (Aka Kool Keith) hits stores June 25th
http://www.thereturnofdroctagon.com

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Pearl Jam:: S/T (Album Review)

Four years on from their last studio album and almost six years to the day since their last European gig (the tragic Roskilde Festival where nine fans died), Eddie Vedder and co have resolved a few business issues, regained their fire and made an album that, if nothing else, will remind a few million people that there’s life in the old Seattle dogs yet. Fifteen years and 60 million album sales into their career, you can probably reasonably expect signs of fatigue in the audience, with fans at either end of the age spectrum moving on to different sounds and scene setters for their rock kicks. If so, this re-emergence by the band should reawaken more than a little curiosity.

Initially, the metal horror art / graphics on the CD and its booklet seem at odds with the tasteful avocado cover, but these are songs about war, life and death, love and loss. There’s not a USA World Cup song in sight. Equally, the band are in confident mood, kicking off the album with a cryptic Matt Cameron drum beat that’ll have you checking the CD isn’t skipping. The guitar onslaught that follows on the album’s opening triptych – “Life Wasted”, “World Wide Suicide” and the AC/DC inspired “Comatose” – has ‘mosh pit’ written large across every raging riff.

Lyrically, Vedder now has an even richer vein of American / World politics to tear into. “World Wide Suicide” – that’ll be Iraq, then – references “Medals on a wooden mantle, next to a handsome face, that the President took for granted”. And “Marker In The Sand”, is an evocation of an absent religious deity, with “both sides claim killing in God’s name”. Meanwhile, “Severed Hand”‘s rifferama tops a tale of substance experimentation, in which Vedder promises: “You’ll see dragons after three or four”.

More bizarre is “Big Wave”, Vedder’s take on evolution, in which he claims “I used to be a crustacean” before the song veers off into a dreamy prog-rock denouement surfing a mighty guitar solo. However, it’s at the midway point, with “Parachutes”, when things get a whole lot more interesting. This is a peach of a love song, McCartneyesque in melody and acoustic guitar accompaniment, with Vedder just about pulling off the touching vocal. “Come Back”, however, is the album’s undoubted highlight – a soulful, bluesy ballad that could conceivably turn up on “American Idol”, with some rock kid showing his sensitive side.

Unfashionable as they probably are, Pearl Jam have gone some way to regaining both their fire and their relevance with this, a record that takes equally from classic Neil Young stylings as it does raging, polemic punk. The world rock landscape may well have changed a lot in the last six years, but there’s a clear message here – don’t kick out the Jam just yet. (by Andy Strickland)

Kingblind news that you can use

Beta Band front-man goes missing

Outkast channel Cab Calloway on long-awaited ‘Idlewild’ single

Petty fights back against scalpers

Graham Coxon on Blur reunion

Kingblind Downloads

Art Brut: “Good Weekend”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Mark Pickerel: Forest Fire
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Mark Pickerel: Graffiti Girl
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Be Your Own Pet (Band Profile)

Some straight-edge band somewhere a long time ago had the cry, “Yr only young once DON’T FUCK IT UP!!” It made a lot of sense to the legions who back-flipped off local stages in agreement. Some kids just got a creative inner coil switched to blast furnace temps and the only thing they can do is dedicate their youth to rock n roll. Be Your Own PET are a case in point. Nothing’s gonna stop ‘em. Four friends (3 dudes, 1 femme) get together in Nashville basement and compare notes. Likes: caffeine, spicy food, T Rex, Television, bicycles, Iggy & the Stooges, skateboarding, Afri Rampo, sea horses, Velvet Underground, asthma inhalers, Animal Collective. Dislikes: boredom, posers, posers, boredom, flat tires, runny eggs, lameness, boredom. Actually boredom’s pretty cool cuz then you can SMASH IT! Be Your Own Pet smash through it all. Jemina Pearl’s voice is a wild wonder whipping through the motorcycle guitar thrash of buddy Jonas Stein and landing on the wicked beat/note interplay of rhythm monsters Nathan Vasquez (bass) and Jamin Orrall (drums). It all started sort of in 2003 when Jamin’s bro Jake played bass and they were called the Night Shift Nurses. 1st gigs were at Guido’s Pizza and a local coffee joint called Bongo Java. Jake split to Evergreen State and Nathan came in with a seriously killer amp-blasting concept and a most excellent ‘fro. The basement-released CDR “Damn Damn Leash”was an instant fireball anthem and an MP3 fell into the hands of Zane Lowe of BBC Radio One. London label XL Recordings re-released it with an extra track and more hearts were ignited. The band continue to play local freak scenes with their coterie of friends and fans going ballistic. Small house parties are where the energy develops. Lucky for the rest of us they like to get in the van and cruise outta town. They destroyed and dominated 2004’s CMJ in New York and subsequently South By Southwest.. Rough Trade UK were in attendance, tongues dripping with rock juice, and released a single. Next move was to record an LP and Steve McDonald of Redd Kross manned the controls. What has blown forth is a street party of artful punk and beauty. Jemina shines, her voice at once in flames and then achingly sweet. To hear Jonas’ guitar is to hear sublime awesomeness and Jamin’s drumming is incredible, the dude’s been playing since he was like 1 years old. Nathan pushes and pulls the whole deal with amazing bass rock action. This record flat out destroys, a revolution jam for 2006! Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore had been following the band since ordering their 1st CDR on the web when it was released in 2004. And now his label Ecstatic Peace / Universal will release this newest landmine June 6. Preceding this will be an EP of the Rough Trade single tracks + 2 tracks from the Steve McDonald demo sessions, released in April.

MORE FACTS & FIGURES
Average song length 2:20
Average live set length 15-30 minutes
Formed 2004 and have played close to a hundred shows.
Toured with The Kills, Le Tigre, and Electrelane.
All four bandmembers have asthma.
All four members draw their singles covers with crayons.

They make their t-shirts in the kitchen with a silk screen (and once started a fire drying freshly painted shirts in the oven) and then personalize them with magic markers. Jonas and Jamin doubled up classes to graduate high school a year early. Jemina dropped out. Nathan is taking senior English on the internet.

The band argued with their UK label over what the first single off the album would be – and the band picked the frenzied 58 second “Let’s Get Sandy.” The album is released on CD, vinyl, downloads and a boxed set of 7″ singles.

Nathan Vasquez – bass; b. October 2,1988
Bob Marley fan since age 4. Spends his lunch money on records. Prefers vinyl to CD. Wrestling matches in the back of the van. Hates stage barriers between the band and audience. Zane Lowe describes “the greatest rock moment of 2005″ as Nathan diving midsong into the audience at the Barfly, but then timidly apologizing and making sure no one was hurt. Obsessive fan of Beck, Flaming Lips, Mudhoney, XTC, Sonic Youth, early Eno, Sun City Girls. Describes BYOP as “uptight fun”.

Jamin Orrall – drums, b. April 20,1988
Started making subversive films at age 9. Shot BYOPs first two videos (Damn Damn Leash, Let’s Get Sandy) on a cheap digital camera and a laptop. One video was shot in the woods in the dark, and on the other he spent the entire $200 budget on red fabric to make a giant band-eating monster. Jamin is a band slut. He plays in about a dozen other groups (ranging from art thrash to high school swing band) many of them released in CDR pressings on his own label. Jamin’s record collection ranges from Lightning Bolt to Leonard Cohen. He stands 6′ 2″ after a recent growth spurt.

Jonas Stein – guitar; b. October 16, 1987
Likes to fuck shit up. Doesn’t always tell the truth in interviews. Jonas is the enigmatic one. He also is the first to get a driver’s license, drives the band van, and rides a motorcycle. (the other bandmembers ride bikes). He’s a road veteran of his junior high hockey team, which played against schools all over the south. If overalls and tank tops qualify as fashion, then Jonas is the band fashion-plate. Heroes – Lou Reed, Television, Black Sabbath. Jonas and Nathan were both originally drummers and switched instruments just a few years ago.

Jemina Pearl – singer b. June 20, 1987
Grew up singing in school musicals, church choirs and in her early teens her parents let her attend something called Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp, where at the end-of-summer concert, she led a screaming, avant-noise trio (The Lap Children) wearing prom dresses. “I remember the first time I heard about “punk rock.”My sister had a Sid Vicious postcard – he was all cut up and bloody and looked like the coolest person I’d ever seen. After that I found out about the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Stooges and the New York Dolls, and that changed my life.

With lyrics about zombies, taking Xanax, breaking limbs, brains on fire, shooting guns and drowning boyfriends, the album might lead you to psychoanalyze the lead singer, but be warned that more than half the lyrics are written by Jamin and Jonas. On the other hand, Jemina entirely penned all the music and lyrics to “Take That Walk” an amazing gem hidden on the 2005 Rough Trade single.

But the point is that there are four talented and fascinating individuals with unique and sometimes contradictory personalities. All four of them write the music, three of them write the lyrics (Nathan saves his lyrics, (mostly about puke and excrement) for his other band Deluxin.)

Be Your Own Pet::
Damn Damn Leash Video
CLICK TO VIEW

Adventure Video
CLICK TO VIEW

Let’s get sandy Video
CLICK TO VIEW

Bicycle, Bicycle You Are My Bicycle Video
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Kingblind Downloads

The Decemberist:: The Soldiering Life
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Decemberist:: Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The Decemberist:: The Engine Driver
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Styx:: Mr Roboto (Music Video)
CLICK TO VIEW

Art Brut:: Bang Bang Rock and Roll (Album Review)

Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos wants to move to L.A. so he can drive his motorcycle up and down the Sunset Strip naked, drink Hennessey with Morrissey and hang out with Axl Rose. Maybe then Axl would get rid of those god awful dreadlocks and finish that record he’s been talking about for 10 years.

I began hearing about Art Brut last summer. After a share of mixed reviews, I finally found myself a copy of the record. Upon first listening, I was hooked. Sure, this was nothing revolutionary or life changing, but gosh darn it if it just wasn’t plain fun.

Eddie Argos doesn’t sing; he talks to you. And when he talks, he’s kind of a blabbermouth, but he makes it hard to say a bad thing about a man who claims to want to write a song that’s gonna make Isreal and Palestine get along. Only if it was that simple Eddie!

Named after French painter Jean Debuffet’s definition of outsider art – art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation – Art Brut seem like outsiders, making simple, clever punk rock. With an obsession for Top of the Pops, NME and irony, Art Brut are storming the music world with no concern for prisoners. At every corner they seem like they are celebrating rock & roll and destroying it, both at the same time. The songs are catchy, especially “Emily Kane” where Argos actually counts down the years to the exact last second he saw his ex. Hell, I can’t run into my ex without needing a drink and a bail bondsman. If he isn’t having a good or bad weekend, you can find Argos screaming about lira, very fast scooters and his brother’s newfound love of rock & roll. Like I said, Art Brut is nothing new. They hammer out simple 3 chord songs, but they’re fun. It gives you hope that there’s more out there than just the run-of-the-mill commercial crap being shoved down our throats on the radio. The American release offers up 3 extra songs, making the album longer than the English release. Art Brut are not the best British band of the moment, but one worth checking out for sure. (Casey Schroeder)

The Go-Betweens’ Grant McLennan dead at 48

Grant McLennan, co-leader of the Australian band the Go-Betweens, died Saturday, May 6, in Brisbane at the age of 48.

With longtime partner Robert Forster, McLennan led the Go-Betweens to critical, if not commercial, success with such albums as 1983′s “Before Hollywood” and 1988′s “Sixteen Lovers Lane”. After the band split in 1989, McLennan recorded with the band Jack Frost and released four solo albums.

The Go-Betweens reunited in 2000 for the album “The Friends of Rachel Worth”, which featured backing from members of Sleater-Kinney. Ever since, the group has enjoyed a productive period of recording and touring, as its influence became more apparent on such groups as Luna, the Clientele and Belle & Sebastian.

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Kingblind.com news that you can use

Mark E Smith sees members of the Fall drop out of current tour

High Fidelity the musical?

Bowie To Curate New NYC Festival

Final Johnny Cash Recordings Coming July 4 on Lost Highway :

Tapes ‘n Tapes Sign to Matador Label XL

Kingblind Downloads

Ween: 2006-04-10, Atlanta
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Matisyahu:: Live at The Showbox on 2006-02-06, Seattle
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Rogue Wave:: Live at Bimbo’s 365 Club on 2006-03-30, San Francisco
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Michael Franti and Spearhead Live at Nicholson Hall,ST.FX University on 2006-03-19
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Monday, May 8, 2006

Wolfmother:: S/T (Album Review)

It’s been 30 years since Punk Rock, and to celebrate, there have been myriad articles from those who were there about how important it all was. One of the things that is almost universally agreed upon is that Punk helped to put the final boot into the ribs of the old ‘Dinosaur Rock’ bands, rendering them obsolete overnight and ensuring that they only ever had a mocking footnote in the history of rock music.

Now, 30 years later Punk has become little more than a cheap moniker to add to anything that sounds remotely DIY, and although the original ethics remain in certain quarters (DC’s Dischord or KRS for example) Punk itself is beginning to get so old, it has forgotten what it is. It is suffering from musical Alzheimers.

Meanwhile, in some distant part of the globe an eccentric Billionaire has spent the last few years extracting DNA from samples of Dinosaur Rock bands (many were trapped onstage in glistening pods that refused to open apparently). Taking these samples new bands have been cloned and the sound of Dinosaur Rock, a sound many thought we would never hear again has begin to roar once more like an echo through the ages.

You might have noticed it in the much raved about proggy leanings of Secret Machines, or perhaps Justin Hawkins Mercurial hooting caught your ear. Now Wolfmother have taken their first steps in this new world and you are sure to hear more from them.

The album opens up with Dimension, a song that shamelessly bridges the gap between Black Sabbath and Zeppelin. It rips away with a forceful blues riff whilst vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale’s vocals conjure up the ghosts of Ozzy and Robert Plant in their heydays. White Unicorn takes the opening few chords of Zeppelin’s Ramble On and stuffs them in an overhead compartment and takes them on voyage through the clouds. Guitar feedback edges into the mix clearing the way for the song to open up into a thunderous roar full of rampant guitar and drums being thrashed like the wings of a pterodactyl. It’s reassuringly primal stuff.

Apple Tree takes the band even further back into the blues roots of rock history. It is a particularly aggressive charge through a twitchy bluesy garage riff, which calls to mind The White Stripes or John Spencer Blue Explosion. Except that Apple Tree has a mid-section that comes straight from the Sabbath songbook of doom riffs.

This is an album that has songs with names like Colossal (which sounds colossal, as you might expect), Pyramid (which also sounds colossal, but the name Colossal was already taken by another song), and Where Eagles Have Been, which are all as bloated and thrilling as their titles suggest them to be. There’s duelling guitars, raucous drumming, ‘rock’ song titles, blues influences, prog keyboards, the odd dodgy rhyme and some great influences, and yet Wolfmother don’t sound like a tongue in cheek joke, or as ridiculous as you might expect.

This is down to them writing songs that sound as if they were carved into the rock of the earth when the Big Bang went bang. This is purely primal, instinctive rock and as derivative as it may be, it still sounds awash with originality. (Sam Shepherd)

Kingblind Downloads

The Shins:: B-Sides and other recordings
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD pw: gridsplicer

Robert Pollard: “The Finest Joke Is Upon Us (demo)”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Robert Pollard: “White Skin and Bones (demo)”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: “Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers cover)”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

8 new songs from Radiohead (Live)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

The new Gnarles Barkley video for “Crazy,” from the album, St. Elsewhere, which comes out this tuesday.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD ALSO:: Live on Top of the Pops

Zero 7 (Featuring Jose Gonzalez):: Left Behind
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

SOUL HOLE! This Wednesday in Seattle

This Wednesday night. Starting at 9pm DJ Kingblind and DJ SABD will be spinning the best in old school Funk, Soul & R&B.

When: Wednesday May 10th 2006 (9pm till ??)
Where: Viceroy 2332 Second Ave : : Seattle WA 98121 PH – 206 – 956 – VICE
Cost: 100% FREE

Now here’s a quote direct from “The Stranger” about our Wednesday nights: “if soul music’s your thing, Wednesday nights at the Viceroy should make for a good, cozy late-night stop. DJ Self-administered Beat Down recently launched the debut of the Soul Hole, a weekly featuring obscure and old classics of the soul, funk, and R&B variety…”

VICEROY SEATTLE

Kingblind emails fixed!!

Our email feed has now been repaired.. Bye Bye Bloglet!!.. SOOO.. Everything should be back to normal now.. thanks for the emails.. Sorry for the delays!!

Friday, May 5, 2006

Dirty Pretty Things: Waterloo to Anywhere (Album Review)

“If you love a woman, you musn’t beat her” howls Carl Barat on “If You Love A Women”

I would like to take this time to thank Mr. Barat for his advice on domestic bliss. See, I’ve been under the assumption that women wanted to be treated like Ike treated Tina. No wonder I’m single..

Lately, most of the attention has been given to Barat’s ex partner in crime, Pete Doherty. As Doherty stumbles inebriated down a road that even Keith Richards wouldn’t travel, Barat is coming into his own as an amazing songwriter. I’ll admit, I overlooked this band and record. I thought that it wouldn’t be as good as the Babyshambles record that came out recently. Well, I am man enough to admit I was wrong.

When I heard the first few notes of the opener “Deadwood” I knew that this record was going to be a barnburner. It sways and swaggers like a leather clad teddy boy of days past, but with more attitude than my sassy 11 year old niece. It’s pure bratty English rock n roll at it’s finest. Sing-a-long choruses and guitar hooks leaner than burgers cooked on a George Foreman grill. I can honestly say that there is not a single song on here I wouldn’t listen to. In fact, I’ve listened to this record 10 times tonight, and when I wake up tomorrow, I’m gonna listen to it ten times more. Who’s gonna stop me? Not you, that’s for sure.

The music is mostly upbeat rockers, especially “Deadwood” and “Bang Bang Your Dead.” Which I believe were released as a single, as I’ve gathered from the Dirty Pretty Things website. Then there’s the song “Blood Thirsty Bastards” where Barat reflects on what seems to be the world around him. A world where everyone is only out for himself/herself, not caring about anything or anyone else. “The Last of the Small Town Playboys” plays out like demented carnival music, until the chorus, when the guitars get big and raunchy. The bass rumbles under the twin guitar attack, and for a moment I see a bastard clown dancing across the midway. This record comes on strong and never lets up. The lyrics are witty and as a whole, the record is a non stop collection of excellently written songs. In my opinion, this is one of the best records of 2006 so far.The only complaint I have is the the length of the record. It’s kinda short (37 minutes) and leaves me wanting more. If your a fan of the Libertines/Babyshambles don’t overlook Dirty Pretty Things like I almost did, you might miss something special.

Dirty Pretty Things “Waterloo to Anywhere” is available Monday as an import, no American release date has been set yet. (Review by: Casey Schroeder)

The Return of Dr. Octagon (Week 1 of 8)

… 10 years since Dr. Octagon’s groundbreaking first address to the world, “Dr. Octagonecologyst ”, a musical recording with a combination of lyrical alchemy and beat science powerful enough to teleport the first human listeners to rap in the year 3000.

… 7 years since Dr. Dooom murdered Dr. Octagon on the opening track to Dooom’s “First Come First Served”… Dr. Octagon’s office in the Bronx was boarded up, the nurses obliged to seek alternate means of employment. Thousands of patients in need of rectal rebuilding or removing turtles from their uteruses had to fulfill their medical needs elsewhere. The toll-free hotline 1-800-PP5-1-DOODOO and his space age cell 709 755 6EL3 were both disconnected.

BACK IN THE PRESENT
The Pop epidemic proliferates, poisoning millions. Evil forces at work, those who “water down the sound that comes from the ghetto”, continue plugging this poison directly into Earth society’s mainstream, in greater and greater doses. The casualties mount, while The National Guard United States Enterprise is helpless. The rap game, overcrowded with so-called rap super-villains, now more than ever before, could use a rap superhero.

ELSEWHERE ON PLANET EARTH…
The team at OCD International arrived for work to find a small indiscriminate package has arrived mysteriously at their doorstep. Unlabeled. How curious. Opening the box, its sole content is discovered – what seems to be a nano-size mp3 player, in purple-green casing adorned with shimmering blue flowers. An inscription, laser etched on the back reads, “Attention: Earth People. From the Labs of Dr. Octagon, Planet Jupiter”.

Could it be? THE RETURN OF DR OCTAGON!? Is this really the one & only Dr. Octagon? The folks at OCD had to get to the bottom of this. The tracks were immediately ripped off the mp3 player and then shipped for intense forensic voice identification. IT IS HIM!

But what is he saying? What is the message and why is it left with OCD? To get to the bottom of the mystery as crack team of musical experts were assembled to analyze the content of some key track and decipher the code.

First on the case was DJ Mike Relm, inventor of the Zodyak Scop System, esteemed architect of the future sound of hip hop. Mike has seen a lot of strange things in his time; it is no secret that he was once a Turntable Terrorist trafficking in supernatural sonics. He plugged into his ProTools, only to find himself possessed… By some superior force.

After an indefinite period of time, he awoke with a start, in his studio in San Francisco. He vaguely recalls visions of a 12th century turret in the old quarter of Prague, and a vile, evil creature only describable as halfsharkalligatorhalfman. Not to mention, Mike’s throbbing head. Confused and disoriented, he glanced over to his computer screen. A long, dense 20-minute waveform is displayed; the name of the file reads “Octagynaemix”. Could it be Mike’s mix unfolded during a freak forced coma brought on from post-future hypnotic soundwave embedded in the files. Or did Mike just have some bad fish.

Only he truly knows…

Mike Relm 20 minute Return of Dr Octagon megamix
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Log on next Friday for the next installment of this amazing 8 week story featuring new interpretations of Dr Octagon tracks each week by Prefuse 73, Kid Loco, Her Space Holiday, Rob Sonic, Skinny Man and more.

The Return Of Dr Octagon hits stores June 25th
http://www.thereturnofdroctagon.com

Thursday, May 4, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

The Go! Team: 2006-04-30, Coachella, “Everyone’s a VIP to Someone”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Camera Obscura: “Teenager” [mp3] from Underachievers Try Harder
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Twilight Singers: “Andiamo” [mp3] from Powder Burns
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Sonic Youth Live in Paris 2006
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Gnarls Barkley – “St. Elsewhere” (Album Review)

I love Dangermouse’s work. Hopefully, in an ideal world, he’ll take the reins left by the passing of J-Dilla earlier this year. In a world of sound-the-same swirly Neptunes production and bloated sample-heavy Kanye West copycats, Dangermouse stands at the pinnacle of hip-hop production. Any man who can deliver such differing yet excellent all-the-same creations (the jaw-aching masterpiece that is “Ghetto Pop Life”, the EMI-baiting Jay-Z/The Beatles mash-up “The Grey Album” or the furiously kitsch fun of last years Gorillaz “Demon Days” offering) deserves to silence the nay-sayers. The reason I proclaim my love for Dangermouse (or Cee-Lo for that matter – I was one of the few who championed his “Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine” album) is because I knew it’d be difficult to review “St. Elsewhere” without bias.

First, the good news. This album is good. In fact, parts of it are very good. Unfortunately, this is also part of the problem. Only parts of the album are good – the dark funk flirtation with suicide on “Just A Thought” being a particularly stand-out. Cee-Lo sounds as fresh and soul machine-y as ever, and Dangermouse’s production is continually tight, as on the excellent “Who Cares” and “The Last Time”. However, whilst subsequent listening reveal many great ideas, the album is just too short and, as such, its downfall. Out of the 14 tracks, only four push the 3-minute mark (including the remarkably crisp and cheery (possible new single?) ‘Smiley Faces’), but some tracks could have been fleshed out – “On-Line” would benefit from a longer duration for instance.

Dangermouse has mentioned in interviews that the albums length is part of its immediate appeal but, conversely, “St. Elsewhere”’s brusqueness means that there’s just not enough material to work with. The pinnacle of Cee-Lo’s career? Possibly. The single-take vocal on ‘Crazy’ cements this claim completely. The pinnacle of Dangermouse’s career? Probably not. “Ghetto Pop Life” is much better but, of course, not as unapologetically fun. And that’s what “St. Elsewhere” is – a short fun album that uplifts but, ultimately, makes you yearn for more. This is a shame, although, ironically, an enjoyable shame. (Review by J.M. Ross)

Wednesday, May 3, 2006

Kingblind.com news that you can use & MORE!

Bloc Party discuss sophomore album, Bowie influence

Black Keys jump aboard Radiohead tour

Sonic Youth gets ‘Ripped’ for headlining tour

Three quarters of Jane’s Addiction form The Panic Channel

Franz Ferdinand turn down £30 million ad campaign

Kingblind Downloads

The Futureheads: News & Tributes
LINK EXPIRED

Tool: 2006-05-02, Seattle
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Wolf Parade: “Modern World” video [mov]
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That
LINK EXPIRED

Gnarls Barkley:: St. Elsewhere
LINK EXPIRED

The Raconteurs’ acoustic version of “Steady, As She Goes” is the free iTunes single this week.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD via goldenfiddle

Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Kingblind Downloads

MC5:: Kick out the Jams
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Butthole Surfers: 2001-10-16, Providence
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Band of Horses: “The Great Salt Lake”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Sufjan Stevens: “The Henney Buggy Band”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Spoon: 2005-03-17, Austin
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Mogwai: 2006-03-14, Houston
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Kingblind news that you can use

Tapes ‘n Tapes find home at XL Recordings
CLICK TO READ

No new Radiohead album in 2006
CLICK TO READ

Cash’s final song to appear on ‘American V’
CLICK TO READ

Stream the new Pearl Jam record
CLICK TO READ

The Clash do “London Calling”, “Train In Vain”, “Guns Of Brixton” and “Working For The Clampdown” on Fridays (1980)
CLICK TO VIEW

Buy a Mac
CLICK TO VIEW

Monday, May 1, 2006

Kingblind.com is seeking new writers!

That’s right kids… With writers in 8 countries.. Kingblind.com is expanding our staff once again. please CLICK HERE to read our listing for new writers. Get free CD’s, See live shows, Interview your favorite bands and more!!! We will return to our regular posting schedule tomorrow. Thanks.

Kingblind Downloads

Ladytron – BBC Peel Sessions
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Nirvana – The Complete Radio Sessions
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Supergrass (Live in Brazil, Atibaia, SP)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD