blow out that cherry bomb for me

Shortly after I bought the new Spoon album on vinyl, I was very disappointed to find that the first pressing/limited edition of the Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD comes with a bonus disc entitled Get Nice!. I really wanted to hear this bonus disc but I had no intention of buying the album again. Luckily, since we live in a time where everything can be found on the internet, I was able to get my hands on Get Nice! without buying Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga again. The bonus CD contains twelve instrumental and demo songs which for the most part, sounds like something taken out of various jamming sections. Get Nice! is definitely a very interesting bonus and I enjoy it tremendously; however, unless you are a big Spoon fan, there is really no need to go out of your way to get the first pressing of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

I Got Mine
I Summon You (Cool) (alternate version)
Mean Mad Margaret
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb (alternate version) [wicked-cool song]
Dracula's Cigarette [wicked-cool song]

Deep Clean (iTunes Bonus Track)
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buy Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga here

out this week

The New Pornographers: Challengers
One of the finest pop records of 2007.

Myriad Harbour
Adventures In Solitude

buy Challengers here


Caribou: Andora
Daniel Snaith is back with his signature lo-fi electronic sound.

Irene

buy Andora here


M.I.A.: Kala
Kala is nearly flawless... it contains "Paper Planes", which is one of the best songs of the year so far!

Bird Flu [wicked-cool song]
XR2 [wicked-cool song]
Paper Planes [super-wicked-cool song]

buy Kala here


Architecture in Helsinki: Places Like This
An utterly catchy and entertaining album; Architecture In Helsinki has the ability to create some top-quality, catchy-as-hell tracks.

Debbie [wicked-cool song]
Nothing's Wrong

buy Places Like This here


Aiden: Conviction

Son Of Lies

buy Conviction here


Minus the Bear: Planet of Ice
Another solid indie rock record by Minus the Bear.

Knights
Dr. L'Ling [wicked-cool song]

buy Planet of Ice here


Rilo Kiley: Under the Blacklight

The Moneymaker [wicked-cool song]
Dejalo

buy Under the Blacklight here

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classic song of the moment: i like fidel castro and his beard

I felt awfully sick on Friday night... and as many of you know, Bob Dylan is my cure for sickness. I listened to Dylan for hours that particular night, with songs like "Motorpsycho Nitemare", and of course "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" on repeat!

Motorpsycho Nitemare from Another Side Of Bob Dylan, 1964 [super-wicked-cool song]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again from Blonde On Blonde, 1966 [super-wicked-cool song]
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what's the weight of the world worth to your side

The New Pornographers’ Challengers is without a doubt, one of the finest pop records of the year. The majority of the band’s forth studio full-length projects a pleasant and uplifting energy. Like Britt Daniel, Carl Newman has a gifted ability to create captivating fun pop hits. I can totally picture songs such as "Challengers", "All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth", and "Entering White Cecilia", being used in future low-key indie films along the line of Thumbsucker and Rocket Science.

Challengers
All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth [wicked-cool song]
Mutiny, I Promise You
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Challengers comes out on August 21 (in two days!), you can pre-order it here

oh my name it is nothin', my age it means less

I am a pretty big Bob Dylan fan, and like many, I am anxiously excited for I'm Not There. I was looking at details/info on the film and I came across a clip starring Cate Blanchett.

you leave behind a trail of destruction

When I was shopping for music in Japan a few months ago, I was given this flyer/buyers’ guide in HMV that suggested people to buy an album called Raise The Alarm by The Sunshine Underground if they are into Klaxons. Naturally, I went to check out the suggested band’s MySpace to find that they sounded nothing like Klaxons! I was very disappointed and eventually forgot about the band... until about a week ago. For whatever reason, the band’s name popped into my head and I wanted to hear them. This time, I actually listened to the entire album and enjoyed it. Instead of comparing Raise The Alarm to Klaxons, the flyer should have compared the album to The Rapture. A fair portion of Raise The Alarm has very similar musical structures as The Rapture; in particular, the drumming rhythms as well as the vocal deliveries. On the other hand, there is the odd song like "Borders", which sounds like something by The Twilight Sad. In short, Raise The Alarm is entertaining, The Sunshine Underground sounds nothing like Klaxons, and no one should ever trust the recommendations from HMV flyers from Japan!

Put In Your Place
Dead Scene
Borders
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buy Raise The Alarm here

bet you think you had to but it doesn't feel right

Everyone is talking about the new Spoon video for the song, "Don't You Evah". The video is quite entertaining... Spoon, little yellow robot, and Japan!... it’s the perfect threesome!



Don't You Evah [wicked-cool song]
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buy Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga here

featured artist: John Lee Birds

(WTF, I haven’t done a ‘featured artist’ post for more than a year!) Everyone should check out John Lee Birds’ work; especially his paintings from the recent exhibition, Before Encore Part 2. The collection includes some really wonderful iconic portraits, there’s even one of Patty Wolf!!!

Go here to visit John Lee Birds' website

watch the martyrs when they face the ghosts

A Wilhelm Scream have just announced three new shows, including two shows in Ontario! Their highly highly anticipated new album, Career Suicide, is scheduled for release on October 9, 2007 via Nitro!

Aug 29th – Fullerton, CA @ The Alley
Sept 7th – Toronto, On @ Mod Club
Sept 8th – London, ON @ Call The Office

Killing It [wicked-cool song]
Me Vs. Morrissey In The Pretentious Contest [wicked-cool song]
The Kids Can Eat A Bag Of Dick [wicked-cool song]
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buy Ruiner here

altered realities

Altered Realities by Erdem Helvacıoğlu is like a soundtrack out of a very stylized suspense film. Erdem Helvacıoğlu’s arrangements of time and space interplay perfectly with one another to create tensions throughout the album. Perhaps one of my favourite elements of Altered Realities is the importance of the acoustic guitar. In quite a few occasions, the acoustic guitar creates simple harmony to juxtapose the chaotic electronic sounds. For instance, on "Shadow My Dovetail", the continuous acoustic guitar note acts as a peaceful aid to the strange and interrupting electronic effects. In short, Altered Realities exhibits a superior blend between several styles: not only does it explore with ambient and electronic sounds like The Album Leaf’s One Day I'll Be On Time, but it also echoes the experimental atmosphere of The Drift by Scott Walker.

Bridge to Horizon
Shadow My Dovetail [wicked-cool song]
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buy Altered Realities here