Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Holding On For Tomorrow

Now I know what I'm getting brother Way2Poppy for Christmas.
Blur celebrates their 21 long years with a long 21-disc box set called, uh, Blur 21.

  • All seven newly expanded two-disc studio albums 
  • Four discs of rarities, exclusive to this set. Includes 3½ hours of previously unreleased material 
  • Three DVDs including over 2 hours of previously unreleased footage. Includes two pivotal live shows and an exclusive disc of video rarities. 
  • Collectable 7" single of the rare and previously unreleased live recording of the Seymour-era track Superman. 
  • Deluxe hard-bound book telling the story of Blur's 21 year career with extensive liner notes based on a brand new interviews with the band, illustrated with imagery of the era, including some previously unseen photos.
Blur 21 is an insane project for even the hardest core fans. I'd call myself a casual fan and personally believe they peaked at their second, most Brit-poppiest album, Modern Life Is Rubbish. I think their influence is a bit oversold, but they've certainly had some highlights. Their potentially last performance will appropriately be at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.



All their albums have also been reissued.

iTunes | Amazon | Official Site

A Whisper Short of Words

Brandon Schott gets personal on the latest episode of Defying Gravity recounting how growing up a military brat has influenced his life. I can't relate to that specifically but Brandon has an uncanny knack for bridging the gap and making the personal universal.



Podcast, video, and download here

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Surrender To The Void

Nice to see The Beatles fully embracing this iTunes thing. Today they released a new compilation of their most "powerful" rock songs called Tomorrow Never Knows. Not surprisingly it includes some of my favorites...
Revolution | Paperback Writer | And Your Bird Can Sing | Helter Skelter | Savoy Truffle | I'm Down | I've Got A Feeling | Back In The USSR | You Can't Do That | It's All Too Much | She Said, She Said | Hey Bulldog | Tomorrow Never Knows | The End
iTunes Exclusive

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Go Ahead And Laugh All You Want

Ben Folds Five returns after 13 years of being Ben Folds One with The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind - quite a mouthful. It comes after a successful fan-funded PledgeMusic campaign. The album will be released September 18 and carries all the hopes and dreams of 90s pop-loving obsessives like me. No pressure.

Pre-order: Amazon MP3 | PledgeMusic

I Will Hear Your Voice In Three-Part Harmony

Mike Viola's Acousto De Perfecto - the logical follow-up to Electro De Perfecto - is out everywhere this week. Check out the video for Songo De Perfecto aka Soundtrack of My Summer below.



Official Site | iTunes | Amazon MP3

Thursday, July 12, 2012

We Can't Wait 'Til Tomorrow

Holy effing 80s. The Killers are back with The Runaways from their new album Battle Born out this fall. There's no hiding it; this is a straight up 80s anthem if I ever heard one, which I've yet to decide is good or bad or meh.



Official Site | iTunes | Amazon MP3

Everything I Want, Everything I Need

Band of Horses released the first full-length tune from their upcoming Mirage Rock due out on September 18. Quite poppy!



Pre-order the new album via iTunes and get an exclusive tune called Ego Nightmare.

I Can Stay For Longer

I was happy to attend the fifth anniversary of Des Moines' 80/35 music festival last weekend, which has brought great headliners like Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie to our midwestern paradise (Death Cab killed this year!) Some of the true treasures and nice surprises are found on the free stages in between the headlining sets. Now, Now (formerly Now, Now Every Children) was my favorite surprise this year. They've been together since 2003 but hardly look a day out of middle school - which is a compliment. I have yet to explore any of their releases, but their female-led indie pop was a blast of fresh coolness on a day topping 100 degrees. Check out an official video below, which doesn't quite live up to the live experience.



Official Site | Facebook | iTunes | Amazon MP3

All the Cuckoo Things You Do

Love hearing anything new from Matthew Sweet especially when he's in power pop mode. Check out his cover of Fever B's This Sea is My Life....



We can always rely on Dan for digging up the sweetest Sweet. Thanks for the tip.