It's Not a Miracle We Needed

Amazon has the breakthrough album from Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - for only $5.99 on CD ($7.99 for download). Dirt cheap for an album that made many year-end lists.

This Stubborn Memory Hadn't Faded

Steve Harris is graciously sharing more interviews with Jellyfish via YouTube. These are from 1990.



Part Two
Part Three

Like the Shadow Falling in This Place

Justin Currie of Del Amitri is releasing his second solo album this April called The Great War.

"The Great War" differs from "What Is Love For" in several ways. It is not specifically designed to push the weak-willed and suicidal over the edge of the abyss. It is a rock group record, performed live on the whole, prominently featuring two electric guitarists. It is mainly prescribed for those who desire the elevator operator selects an upper floor. Those who seek the comforting melancholy of the basement are advised to take the stairs - we'll be with you soon enough after we take a brief glimpse of how this city looks on a clear January afternoon, steam pouring from roofs and the white tops of hills on the horizon.

The man has a way with words, which is what I've always loved about Del Amitri. I didn't care too much for What Is Love For - perhaps because I've never been near the precipice - so I'm quite glad to hear he's in a better mood.

Less Talk

Paste offers a free MP3 of Matt Pond PA's Starting. Yep. Free. Nice.

New album The Dark Leaves out April 6. 

We Don't Need to Go to The Toilet

The Yellow Submarine remake we mentioned last year now has real life actors attached to it so Robert Zemeckis can inflict some motion capture magic on us. This guy will play Paul McCartney:



Thanks, BoingBoing. Oh, and Cary Elwes will play George Harrison.

In other Beatles-related news, Dhani Harrison seems to be ruling out a Beatles' offspring group. The idea sounds cool but it could never live up to expectations anyway.

And Ringo Starr's new album Y Not is out today. Download it from Amazon.com here.

Help Yourself

Finally got to see Up in the Air last night. Clooney is fantastically Oscar-worthy and the story is good - I highly recommend it.

I was struck by the fantastic soundtrack though. One song during a pivotal scene really blew me away. The deliciously folksy tune is called Help Yourself by Sad Brad Smith, a formerly unknown musician from Chicago. Read more about him here and click the image to plop down a mere $.99 for stellar tunage. Could he be the one to pick up where Elliott Smith left off (he's also on the soundtrack, btw)?

HisSpace

I Don't Know Why I Dream This Way

It's rare to find another House of Love fan let alone a blog post about them complete with a bootleg! The House of Love was one of my favorite bands during my formative years because they could be majestic and moody, noisy and melodic all in the same breath. The brilliance of Shine On is unquestionable - it would easily make a top ten list of my favorite songs of all time (minus Beatles naturally).

Popdose made me smile this evening. Enjoy this performance from 1990, which was recorded during their peak.