Takin' You Back
Just because they broke up doesn't mean they aren't good
It really sucks when bands that you like break up, especially before you see them live. These are a handful of good bands that should not be overlooked just because they aren't creating new music. Sometimes you just gotta go back cataloging and find older stuff to listen to. All of these bands achieved a good deal of success, but they deserved to be huge; not just pretty big.
Q and Not U - So Many Animal Calls - This D.C...
Posted by Greg Herald on Mar 26, 2008 @ 12:00 am
We've Got You Covered
Hallelujah for Jeff Buckley
Trying to summarize one of the best songs of all time with only a few words is a daunting task to say the least. It goes without saying that Jeff Buckley was a great singer and songwriter that tragically died before his time. It’s ironic that a man who was such a great writer is most well known for a song that he didn’t pen. “Hallelujah” was originally written and performed by Leonard Cohen, but that’s not the version that Buckley used as his starting point. Instead, he chose to base his recording on John Cale’s version of the song from a Leonard Cohen Tribute album.
Hearing this song for the first time is a moving experience. Buckley’s voice captures the essence of sorrow, and the echo effect on the vocals further enhance the emotion. Buckley has said that the song is about the “hallelujah of the orgasm,” but that seems less and less the case upon each listen. His tone does come off as sensuous at times, but more often than not, it’s just plain sad. You may disagree with every word of my analysis of the song, but that doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that this song is truly one of the greatest ever, sung by a man who died far too soon.
STREAM: Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Posted by Cory Roop on Mar 24, 2008 @ 12:00 am
Your Listening Pleasure
Portishead, Animal Collective and Fuck Buttons deliver us some new music.
Portishead – Machine Gun - Forget the smooth, film noir-evoking, "trip-hop" Portishead of yesteryear. Vocalist Beth Gibbons still sounds fantastic in the wake of the group's ten-year silence, but the new sound of Portishead is much more harsh and bleak than ever before. Distorted snare drum rolls and menacing sound effects complement Gibbon's melancholy, almost helpless vocals throughout the aptly titled "Machine Gun...
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:00 am
The British Are Coming
The Horrors, Paul McCartney and new music from Portishead.
Remember that really gross video "Sheena Is A Parasite" by that pretty goth group The Horrors? Well, for the follow-up to the debut Strange House, they've decided to enlist the skills of Chris Cunningham. This is Cunningham's first record production, but he's known for video work with Bjork and Aphex Twin. Front man Faris Rotter said, "He hasn't done music production before but I think it'll be really special. The results so far are really encouraging...
Posted by Joe Roth on Mar 19, 2008 @ 12:00 am
Takin' You Back
A little alt. country goes a long way.
Alt. country is a popular musical genre to throw around, but I prefer to use the descriptor “Americana.” To me, Americana is music that is heavily influenced by old American country and jazz music. It’s a broad spectrum of styles, but the overall similarities include acoustic and slide guitars, banjos, horns, pianos and low-key production, with a minimal use of technical effects. These songs should give you an idea of what I mean. If a song could be on a western movie soundtrack, then chances are it is Americana...
Posted by Greg Herald on Mar 19, 2008 @ 12:00 am