Sunlight In Your Face

Matt Pond PA will be recording and sharing acoustic versions of the new tunes from Last Night every week. This afternoon, here's the first one, Sunlight:

Hey Venus!

Only on Too Poppy can we jump from Led Zep to shoegazers to The Eagles to Super Furry Animals all in one day. NME is reporting that SFA's Hey Venus! will be released in the US digitally and vinyly on 8/28. You'll wait until January to get your hands on that 5" plastic, though (if you really must have it, you can pick up the import from Amazon.com on 9/3). A North American tour will accompany the release. Spiffy.

Tracklist:

'The Gateway Song' 'Run-Away' 'Show Your Hand' 'The Gift That Keeps Giving' 'Neo Consumer' 'Into The Night' 'Baby Ate My Eightball' 'Carbon Dating' 'Suckers' 'Battersey Odyssey' 'Let The Wolves Howl At The Moon'

MP3: Super Furry Animals - Show Your Hand (via The Modern Music)

Why Do We Give Up Our Hearts to the Past?

The Eagles' first new album in nearly three decades may just actually be released in 2008.

We're just finishing vocals and mixing it. We're all finally signing off on it.

In true Eagles fashion, all the band members have their own contributions to the set. They are certainly a rock and roll powerhouse and give me nostalgic warmth when a tune pops up on the iPod, but a new album? It'll be interesting at least.

There's No Time To Resist

Ride's Nowhere has officially been on my personal wish list for 17 years now. Ridiculous. The AV Club features it in today's Permanent Records feature. This may be the boost I've been looking for to actually pick it up! I love the "pigeonhole" genre of shoegazing, but only when done very well (think My Bloody Valentine and Chapterhouse). The juxtaposition of drowning noise with pop melody is quite appealing.

Related: "Bloody nonsense. My Bloody Valentine were my comedy band." Right. Speaking of the new wave of shoegazers, I just picked up Maps, and it's already been a nice surprise just a few songs into it. I may have more on it the deeper in I get. Speaking of, Currently Too Popping is Miracle Fortress Five Roses, RIYL the above. For Des Moines area readers, I just saw a $.99 promo copy of the full album at Homer's yesterday (where I bought my $.99 promo copy of Maps)!

People Won't You Listen Now?

The Observer UK is reporting that Led Zeppelin will be releasing digital-only compilation called Mothership featuring some of their best known tunes (you know them). The album will be released 11/12 on iTunes, but it's unclear whether that will only be in the UK or here as well. Remains to be seen. Led Zeppelin, along with The Beatles and Radiohead, is one of the last major artists to be on the wrong side of the digital divide. This is a step, albeit a baby step, in the right direction.

All Kinds of Beautiful

"Grammy Dan" Wilson is releasing a solo album called Free Life on October 16. Special guests include Sheryl Crow, Lance Armstrong (awkward!), Jayhawks' Gary Louris, and others. This is indeed good news.

Preview tracks at hisspace. Sound great, as if you expected any less.
Download tracks by Semisonic here.

BTW, Wilson won the Song of the Year Grammy for Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks, which honestly transcends any genre by being such a damn great tune.

One Part Just Needs the Quiet

Toad the Wet Sprocket is hitting the road again this summer, but only for six dates. Not the fruit or courting ritual, mind you - six shows on six different dates. You get me.

July 25
Toad the Wet Sprocket will be teaming up with Guster for a memorable night
of music under the stars on July 25th at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa
Mesa, CA. Tickets are only $29.50 for Toad's only Southern California
appearance in 2007. Toad will be going on first, playing a full length set.
If you haven't yet heard the music of Guster, you are in for a real treat.

Follow the link below to buy tickets
Ticketmaster.com

MORE SUMMER TOAD CONCERTS-
July 27
Chicago Zoo- Jammin' at the Zoo. Toad w/ Glen Phillips opening!
http://www.lpzoo.org/events/jammin2007.html

August 11th- KMTT Mountain Music Festival- Seattle, WA- Toad, Los Lonely
Boys, Marc Broussard, and Low Stars
TICKETS
Ticketmaster.com

August 12th- Stilliguamish Festival of the River- Arlington, WA- Toad w/
special appearance by Lapdog and the Verve Pipe! Freeeeeee!!!!!!!

August 13th- Crystal Ballroom- Portland,OR- w/ the Verve Pipe opening!
TICKETS:
Ticketmaster.com

September 8th- Lehi, UT Jamboree Music Festival - Toad with Dashboard
Confessional, the Format and more!
TICKETS;
Ticketmaster.com

Uh, yeah, no Iowa shows. Chicago is only five hours away!

Badass

Sweet. Matthew Sweet.

Finally, just a wee bit o' news about the new album (presumably no longer called Rock Bottom otherwise they would've called it Rock Bottom). From his new blog on hisspace:

To all Matthew Sweet fans, the new album is scheduled for release in early 2008. The track Badass has been added to the myspace page to give you an taste of what is coming. If you like the track, add it to your page and let your friends know the latest. Thank you for your patience and support and we look forward to your feedback!! Cheers!

Cheers indeed, although waiting until "early 2008" is like that irrational sense of disappointment after opening all your Christmas presents and realizing you have a whole year ahead of you. I was unable to get the new tune to play - yet another disappointment. Soon...

Tell Me Why

Man, it's about time. I was sooo worried we wouldn't hear from them again.

That's What You Get When You Live in a Small World

News to me. Andy Sturmer (he of Jellyfish - uh, you should know that) is credited with vocals on Rooney's new CD Calling the World. Normally his are quite recognizable but they slipped by me. From the Andy Sturmer email group, Taylor from Rooney responds:

im in rooney. he sang some background vocals on track 3, "i should have been after you". he initially did tons of jfish style bgv's. we edited and used a couple of lines. in the future we'll have to release a version, with all of andy's vocals in, and turned up loud. rooney/jfish mashup!!

Despite the jokey undertones of his suggestion, i would find a "rooney/jfish mashup" quite pleasurable. And Sturmer should be leading his own damn band, not doing backups for others. We'll take what we can get.

I will now go listen to I Should Have Been After You. Goodbye.

UPDATE: Wow, that tune is very Jellyfishy. Can' t believe I didn't really notice it the first few times I heard it. Still, couldn't isolate Sturmer from everybody else. Bummer.

Identities Erased

There will be no new Postal Service release around Christmastime despite reports to the contrary.

We are nowhere near a new Postal Service record.

I thought you might like to know. You're welcome.

I'll Try To Say I'm Happy For You

This news may prompt Way2Poppy to fly up to Des Moines for the weekend. Blue October is playing the Summer Alive Concert Series this Saturday night. Tickets are a whopping $30.

More info here. Buy tix here.

Hearing the Sound of the Faces in the Crowd

I love Pink Floyd. I even like covers of Pink Floyd tunes, especially ones you wouldn't expect. One of my favorites is Fearless by Dig. It is a great tune well suited for Dig's guitar heavy sound. Good luck finding that one. It's on the Soft Pretzel EP, but it looks like it's available on the Believe single too. Ambulance Ltd. does a cool cover of Fearless too. Anyway, my whole point is that it looks like the Shins are a bit less original and have done a cover of Breathe, likely one of the most well known Floyd tunes, and will be releasing it in September. Wahoo.

You're an Icon in a Particular Way

Power pop fans know Shoes. Power pop fans will be glad to know that Shoes' Jeff Murphy has released a solo album that is getting rave reviews. Power pop fans will know to go to Not Lame for more information and to order your shiny CD copy. Power pop fans also know that iTunes is an excellent and fast resource for downloading such gems.

All those dreamy, strummed-up, heavenly vocals and guitars all over the place. The sound is so distinctive, it jumps right out at the listener, immediately placing a recognizing glance for the listener.

Listen to an NPR review here. Sample tracks here.

It's All Too Much For Me To Take

End a week with unfortunate Beatles news -- begin a week with unfortunate Beatles news.

What a dreadful impression they must have given the rest of the world.

Nothing You Can See That Isn't Shown

It's a bad day in Pepperland as The Beatles are selling diapers and are being depicted as Poison. How fun for a Friday.

Among the objections is that the idealistic song, popular in the counterculture "Summer of Love" era and among Vietnam War opponents, is being used at the time of another war, in Iraq, to evoke soiled diapers.

I Wish You Were Here With Me

Well, I've already burned through the new Crowded House several times over and I'm not the least bit disappointed. You always have to tone down expectations for "reunion" albums. This is Neil Finn and company we're talking about though, so no big surprise.

I am a bit surprised to discover Neil's offspring is making music and it sounds damn good. Liam Finn is releasing an album called I'll Be Lightning in New Zealand and Australia at the end of this month. For those of us in the US and the UK, we'll be waiting a long time until January 08. In the meantime, there's plenty of time to get intimate with four tunes at hisspace. He's got his pop's skills, that's for sure.

Ok, so how do I remember to pick this up in January?

We've Got Nothing in Common

Just in case you're begging for punishment, Deep Blue Something is playing People's Court in Des Moines tonight.

I saw them at the somewhat legendary People's Bar & Grill in Ames (now closed) when Breakfast at Tiffany's was hitting big. It was the most atrocious show I've ever seen (not counting opening acts - Musico anyone?) and the only show I've ever walked out of early. We stayed until the hit was played mercifully in the middle of the set. I'm pretty sure we weren't the only ones who left at that time. DBS's music is something I would probably like normally, but they were such idiots in concert that I can't listen to them with a straight face anymore, even though I especially like(d) BaT. The epitome of the assitude came when lead singer whatshisname said, in all seriousness, "It's a fucking rock concert, dude," while lifting his devil horns over his head and sticking out his tongue ala Gene Simmons. If it was an ironic gesture, it was lost in the delivery. Our clear impression was that they thought, based on the success of one single, they were the next U2. They weren't, and aren't.

So, there's history there. I will not be seeing them tonight and was surprised to find out they were even still around. More power to them and best of luck, but you lost one potential fan for good over a decade ago.

New Debut

Touch the baby for even more great power pop. Frisbie's New Debut is out today too. Previously...

I Have You and You Have Me

Rooney's long-awaited sophomore album Calling the World hit stores today. A few songs in and I'm already thrilled at the bargain I received at iTunes ($7.99). This is the kind of power pop record I've been waiting for this summer (particularly considering Fountains of Wayne simply didn't have legs for me).

Kudos to Rooney, too, for not pulling a once-similar-sounding Phantom Planet and abandoning the pure pop goodness on their second album.

Broke? Curious? Skeptical? Stream here.

I Need to Look You in the Eye

I've decided that despite the lack of any real verified information, I will post this bit of "news" about Matthew Sweet's Rock Bottom 10th full-length album of original music.

I got to ask him when "Rock Bottom", his new album previewed on his MySpace space, actually comes out. He said it was only finished March 9th, and that the preview on the site was a joke and that he didn't expect his manager to post it. It has yet to be bought, label-wise, and probably won't come out until around September. It will probably not even be titled Rock Bottom, but it does have Richard Lloyd, Ivan Julian, and Greg Leisz playing on it.

I assume Warren is the same Anonymous who commented right here a few weeks back. Keep in mind that September is only two months away. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but until we hear word from Sweet himself or his management soon, I'll chalk this one up to another rumor getting my hopes up about one of my favorite artists.

Oh, and just for good measure, see photographic evidence of this guy's encounter right here.

D'oh

Yesterday, I finally went to the new Homer's in Des Moines Urbandale (one of the best cities to live in, by the way). Well, I'm happy disappointed to report that it's a record store. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, and I wish being a record store meant something nowadays, but I was standing in there choking on the patchouli wondering what this place offered that I couldn't get anywhere else. Sure, the independent spirit is important. I'm all for that. I also like supporting local (but does a Nebraska record store with a local location count?) But at the end of the day, I want something out of it. I didn't see anything too special that I couldn't find elsewhere - at least - online. Even Zzz Records with its limited selection has atmosphere at least. And the location just sucks. Out in a strip mall in the burbs. C'mon. Zzz Records is in the rich-with-atmosphere East Village. Why couldn't Homer's locate itself in the Gateway West area of downtown, or the Drake neighborhood, or hell, even my home neighborhood of Beaverdale.

But, I spent literally 5 minutes in there. For a truly worthwhile record shopping experience, it should be at least half an hour. So I should shut up. I was going to use this post as a premise to write about the new Simpsons movie soundtrack (how? I forgot), but I'll either do that in another post or just tell you now that you can buy it in a limited edition donut - ah, maybe because that's the type of special packaging that you can "experience" at a record store or some dumb shit like that or the Homer d'oh connection - yep, I'm a dumbass.

Hey, Homer's, thanks for coming to our town. Forgive my knee-jerk first impressions.

Out.

Then There Is No Mystery Left

Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis in a porno? Not quite, but evidently she gets all sexy on their new album - including a video for The Moneymaker that features real-life porn stars, Lewis not being one of them.

But now I feel comfortable enough where I can start writing about sex -- not necessarily about my own experiences, but the sexual lives of others. And the somewhat deviant sexual lives of others.

Sweet. Under the Blacklight is due out in August.

UPDATE: Here's the video.

I Will Sell My Soul for Something Pure and True

A bunch of garbage:

The new Garbage compilation is called Absolute Garbage and it's out tomorrow July 24. It features a new tune called Tell Me Where It Hurts. As drummer Butch Vig describes it, the collection of Garbage greats "is the postscript to chapter one." I like the sounds of chapter two even better:

More Neil Young 'Tonight's the Night' meets Leonard Cohen meets Mazzy Star -- druggy, bummer music. Not necessarily druggy, but melancholy and bittersweet ... my favorite songs are stuff like that -- 'Milk' and 'Queer' and 'You Look So Fine' and 'Bleed Like Me,' the slow and sultry stuff ... It'll probably be commercial suicide, but the music business is so f*cked up now, maybe it'll be the most inaccessible record of our career and we'll have it be the biggest hit. (source)

Vig is talking about a new album that Garbage hopes to start working on at least a year from now after Shirley Manson releases her debut solo album early next year. To me, it would be a smashing success if it all sounded like #1 Crush.

MP3: Garbage - Tell Me Where It Hurts (scroll down via Zeon's)
Video: Garbage - Tell Me Where It Hurts (via YouTube)

The Truth in One Free Afternoon

Pitchfork makes my hobby easier by bulleting the New Pornographers upcoming tour. In a move that hurts my soul, there will be no pornos in Des Moines this time around.

Previously...
Download new tunage here

New album out 8/21.

There's a Little Black Spot on the Sun Today

The po-po left Wrigley in a state of disarray. For this I say, "fuck the Police."

And Our Friends Are All Aboard

According to MusicAlly (via TechDigest), the long-rumored Yellow Submarine iPod is back on track now that the iPhone has been launched. This iPod would contain all the songs the Beatles have ever recorded as part of a tie-in with the Beatles on iTunes launch. Seems pretty far-fetched to me. I mean, why not do a Revolution 9 iPod? Or a Martha My Dear one? Or the best would be a Magical Mystery iPod. That would rule.

.miH ssiM miH ssiM ,daeD sI luaP .ecuaS yrrebnarC

(via TUAW)

Hello, I've Waited Here for You

I'm tired. It's late. You get Billboard links:

New Cure album in October

New Collective Soul album called Afterwords August 28

New Foo Fighters called Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace September 25

New Rogue Wave called Asleep at Heaven's Gate September 18

There's Not Nearly Enough In One Night to Have Seen

Matt Pond PA has announced the release of Last Night September 25. Evidently it was a troubled recording process. You can read about that yourself. Of note is that Neko Case and Brooke Kelly Hogan contributed vocals.

So September is a few months away. Download the If You Want Blood EP for a taste - a taste of the new music, not the blood - you get me.

How Can You Have Any Pudding If You Don't Eat Your Meat?

So did you see the massive Live Earth show yesterday on 7/7/07? Yeah, me neither -- holiday weekend and all. I did get to see Roger Waters perform Another Brick in the Wall, but I thought the smile on his face the whole time seemed disingenuous to the spirit of the song. But, whatever. Catch what you missed here.

Give Me Something I Can Write About

If you were hoping to pick up the new Crowded House album Time on Earth today because it came out yesterday everywhere else, well, you'll be disappointed. It's not out here in the states until the 10th, but:

you can pre-order it now from iTunes US. The download album comes with two bonus tracks, "Lost Island" and "Stare Me Out", and if you pre-order the album, you'll also receive a live version of "World Where You Live", recorded at the Crowded House webcast from Real World Studios earlier this year.

In the meantime, here's the video for the excellent new single Don't Stop Now: