Missed Out Music
Imperial Drag - wrong place at the wrong time?
Imperial Drag were far too hip for their time. You may know founding member Roger Manning Jr. from such groups as Jellyfish, The Moog Cookbook, a member of Beck's backing band and various other fantastic projects. With the diet-Nirvanas of 1996 chugging along strong, Roger Manning Jr's latest creation was destined to fail. Manning's previous band, Jellyfish, was a power-pop explosion and ripe for a three page “Missed Out Music” piece, but that's for another time.
After the demise of Jellyfish, Manning and singer Eric Dover decided to have a go at creating analog synth laden glam rock group. Imperial Drag's self-titled debut did not deserve all the negative reviews it got at the time. It was not angst ridden, it did not preach about killing your parents and it did not make you feel like blowing your classmates away. Instead, Imperial Drag sang of astrology, androgyny, playboys and overnight sensations. Taking a cue from Sweet, Badfinger, Redd Kross and maybe even the Partridge Family, Imperial Drag tapped into a dead genre with very solid results for the mid-nineties.
Roger Manning Jr. is currently working with Jason Falkner and Redd Kross' Brian Reitzell on a new wave inspired band called TV Eyes.
STREAM: Imperial Drag – Boy or a Girl
Posted by Joe Roth on Mar 18, 2008 @ 12:00 am
We've Got You Covered
The Polyphonic Spree preach Nirvana
For Nirvana, 1991 brought one of their more well known performances - the MTV Video Music Awards. Kurt Cobain, in an act of rebellion against MTV executives, played and sang the beginning of “Rape Me” before breaking into the scheduled song, “Lithium.” Bassist Krist Novaselic threw his bass in the air in frustration and caught it…with his forehead and Dave Grohl repeatedly said hi to Axl Rose. What does any of this have to do with The Polyphonic Spree? Well, not much except that the unnecessarily large band from Texas covered Nirvana’s “Lithium” on their 2006 EP entitled Wait.
The song, originally by a band that was known for so much angst in its vocals and rebellious fury in its distorted guitars, turns into something completely different when sung by Polyphonic Spree front man Tim DeLaughter. Cobain’s well known voice is replaced by the happy sounding DeLaughter, and the addition of piano, harp and other strings to the sections of the song that originally featured only a bass line and simple percussion go a long way to turn “Lithium” on its ear. You almost believe that DeLaughter is so happy because today he found his friend. The transition from the low-key verses into the loud, somewhat angry chorus isn’t jarring in the same way as the original, but it still works. All in all, a good tribute to one of the most influential American bands of the nineties, if not all time.
STREAM: The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium
Posted by Cory Roop on Mar 17, 2008 @ 12:00 am
Repressed Video
Some videos should just go away, but we don't let them.
Let me just lay it right out there: This is, hands down, the most RIDICULOUS video I have ever seen.
Imagine being in a loud, obnoxious yuppie bar, surrounded by massive screens playing random music videos that probably shouldn't see the light of day (think Skee-Lo's "I Wish" and Coolio's stay-in-school anthem "Gangsta's Paradise"). Now, imagine having every single one of those screens displaying the video for "Call On Me" by Eric Prydz, featuring a sample of "Valerie" by Steve Winwood...
Posted by Justine Boney on Mar 14, 2008 @ 12:00 am
Your Listening Pleasure
New music R.E.M., Black Kids and The Ruby Suns.
R.E.M. – Supernatural Superserious - A band like R.E.M. needs no introduction. But whatever you think about their recent output of music, "Supernatural Superserious" has all the elements of what made them great in the first place. With a distinctly R.E.M-sounding guitar riff leading into a mid-tempo jam, the band plays with a surprising amount of energy that complements – rather than overwhelms – the song. Really, they aren't doing anything new here – they're just doing it well...
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Mar 14, 2008 @ 12:00 am
A Cause For Attention
The T.J. Martell Foundation and Panic At the Disco with a special giveaway.
The T.J. Martell Foundation is benefiting from the devotion of dedicated Panic at the Disco fans. An online auction skyrocketed an extra $500 in the last one minute of bidding this Tuesday, topping the final sale off at $1,275.00.
The item at stake: The opportunity for the winner and a friend to serve as roadies for a day.
The winner and guest will be presented with VIP working crew passes for Panic at the Disco’s May 9 show in Philadelphia as the band headlines the Honda Civic Tour...
Posted by Leen Morrissey on Mar 13, 2008 @ 12:00 am