Category Archives: Music

Music

Cole Alexander on Playboy

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Cole Alexander of The Black Lips playing acoustic guitar on the same website where naked playmates and cybergirls frolic?

Apparently, it’s very, very true, and it will indeed occur in the not so distant future! Playboy.com launched its ”Uncovered” video series today where guest artists perform cover songs from bands that influenced them. The series, exclusively created for Playboy.com, will show fresh videos on the second Tuesday of each month for 10 consecutive months. Confirmed artists thus far include The Black Lips, Dinosaur Jr., The Dears, Drive-By Truckers, A Camp (Nina Persson of The Cardigans) and Phosphorescent.

The complete lineup—with four additional artists—will be available on Playboy.com August 1. – BlackBookMag.com

Haha this is going to be awesome.

Music

CD Review: Farm (Dinosaur Jr)

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Band: Dinosaur Jr.
Album: Farm
Release: June 23, 2009

1. “Pieces” – [8.8]
2. “I Want You to Know” – [9.3]
3. “Ocean in the Way” – [8.9]
4. “Plans” – [9.2]
5. “Your Weather” – [7.7]
6. “Over It” – [8.5]
7. “Friends” – [8.4]
8. “Said the People” – [7.9]
9. “There’s No Here” – [8.6]
10. “See You” – [9.0]
11. “I Don’t Wanna Go There” – [8.5]
12. “Imagination Blind” – [8.2]

Final Grade: 8.6

Music

Black Lips Fall Tour?!

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Apparently, just apparently, the Black Lips will be touring the United States again starting October 28 in North Carolina. Now it would be kind of really cool if they decided to keep going north all the way to Cambridge, Massachusetts to play the Middle East downstairs again in November. But it would be even cooler if they just zipped on over here in early August before embarking on a tour in Europe. It actually makes more sense for them to zip over here than to just peace out from Atlanta.

Boston to Vorarlberg, Austria: 3811.3 mi
Atlanta to Vorarlberg, Austria: 4125.8 mi

That extra 314.5 miles could be a real bitch. So if they just play Monday, August 10 at the Middle East downstairs, they could play an awesome sold out show and make some good dough on top of that selling more t-shirts and 200 Million Thousand CDs.

But, if for whatever reason, the above is not possible…the November thing sounds pretty cool. We Boston die-hard Black Lips fans would much appreciate another show imminently!

Glen Maganzini

Music

New Babyshambles Album!

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Pete Doherty has spoken about the next Babyshambles album, which he says is close to being written.

In an interview with French radio station Inter on July 6, Doherty revealed that Babyshambles‘ guitarist Mik Whitnall is writing all of the music for the album, leaving him to focus on the lyrics.

“Even as we speak, at this very moment in London somewhere, Mr Michael Whitnall – my erstwhile guitarist and songwriting partner in Babyshambles – is getting the demos together for our new album,” Doherty explained in the interview…. – NME

That’s very cool, but Babyshambles aren’t quite the Libertines. I’m still hoping for my fifth (previously #1) favorite band of all-time to make a comeback.

Music

Funny Irony

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Sonic Youth’s latest, fantastic, release, The Eternal has earned the band’s highest chart performance, peaking at 18 on the Billboard 200. Previously, the band’s  highest chart placement was 34, with 1994’s Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Of course to a band like Sonic Youth, where artistic integrity means everything, I’m sure this is frivolous and as a fan, it is for me. On the other hand, I find it noteworthy, ironic and actually a little humorous that it is this album in particular that has reached the higher ends of the charts. As some of you already know, this album is the band’s first release without the support of a major label in over twenty years. I suppose this proves that the band did not need to be on a major label to reach wider audiences and gain some commercial success. Over the years, the band had built up enough of a fan base to let go of the major (perhaps they were on a contract with Geffen for all of these years?). We, fans, do not need anything else, but the simple notice that a new album is being released, to get off our asses and check it out. Maybe, others will play the SY game of signing to a major and creating a large following, then taking it with them when they return to their independent status. Unfortunately, it should be noted that SY is a rare example of a band that has remained completely true to themselves over the years within the corporate ogre.  All in all, check out the amazing album, The Eternal now!!!

Chris DeCarlo

Music

Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one)

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Supreme Genius:

1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+ at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA

2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark “BBQ” Sultan/Homosexuals (didn’t like) – Grade: A+ at the Paradise Rock Club

3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+ at Wellsley College

Genius:

4. October 2008 – Built to Spill/Dinosaur Jr/Meat Puppets – Grade: A at the Orpheum Theatre

5. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper  (hated)– Grade: A at the House of Blues

6. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear (didn’t see) – Grade: A at the Comcast Center

7. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A at the Middle East

Continue reading Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one) →

Music

My Greatest Concert Experiences!

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The Best
1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+
2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark Sultan/Homosexuals – Grade: A+
3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+
4. September 2009 – Walkmen/Here We Go Magic/The Dig – A+

Amazing
5. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear – Grade: A
5. September 2009 – The Rifles/Mike Fiore – Grade: A
6. August 2009 – Arctic Monkeys/Modey Lemon – Grade: A
7. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper – Grade: A
8. September 2009 – Pains of Being Pure At Heart/Depreciation Guild/Cymbals Eat Guitars – Grade: A
9. July 2009 – Head Automatica/Cubic Zarconia – Great: A
10. July 2009 – Handsome Furs/Dri/Cinnamon Band – Grade: A
11. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A

Great
12. January 2008 – Editors/Hot Hot Heat/Louis XIV – Grade: A-
13. June 2009 – Sunset Rubdown/Elfin Saddle/Witchies – Grade: A-
14. July 2008 – No Age/High Places/Abe Vigoda/Ppalmm – Grade: A-

Continue reading My Greatest Concert Experiences! →

Culture Jamming, Music

Artists to Check Out

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This is basically a list of my favorite modern (formed in the 21st Century for the most part or became prominent within the past few years) bands and some of their songs.

1)  Black Lips- Top Songs: Bad Kids, Sea of Blasphemy, Dirty Hands, Fairy Stories, I’ll Be With You, and many more

2) King Khan and the Shrines- Land of the Freak, Took My Lady to Dinner, I Wanna Be a Girl, No Regrets, Welfare Bread, and others

3) Animal Collective- Summertime Clothes, Peacebone, Banshee Beat, Purple Bottle, Who Could Win a Rabbit

4) No Age- Everybody’s Down, Eraser, Teen Creeps, Brain Burner, Neck Escaper

5) Jay Reatard- See/ Saw, An Ugly Death, No Time, I’m Watching You, Screaming Hand

Continue reading Artists to Check Out →

Music

Boston’s Best Concert Venues

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Middle East Downstairs – A+ – Capacity: 575
My favorite concert venue! It might be that all the bands I’ve seen here have been amazing, but it’s the intimate nature of the basement (and the hot hipster chicks) that makes me always leave Nabil’s premise drenched in sweat smiling.

Paradise Rock Club – A – Capacity: 650
A truly awesome place to see a concert.  There is enough room for rocking out in front of the stage (besides one annoying pole), enough room to just sit or stand around and watch, and enough room on the stage to fit a seven person band.

Continue reading Boston’s Best Concert Venues →