Presidential Debate Mix

This isn’t a political blog but just for the heck of it I thought I’d throw my two cents in on the democratic presidential debate tonight. And hey here’s some music too!

Dennis Kucinich- I am proud to call Denis Kucinich my myspace friend. I love Kucinich, I think he’s by far the best candidate, or at least has the best ideas… maybe he’s too liberal (and short?) to get elected. That said, people seem to like him, I watched the debate at an Obama sponsored event and people clapped for Kucinich as much as Obama that’s gotta say something.

MP3: Groovie Ghoulies- Kick Ass

Mike Gravel- Half of Gravel’s statements seemed to come out of left field but I really like him. Like Sharpton last time around he knows he’s not gonna get elected so he just says whatever he wants. Plus look at that smiling face and his last name is Gravel (how cool).

MP3: Millencolin- Random I Am

Barack Obama- A lot of people really love this guy. He’s charismatic, he’s ok on the issues (although like most of the candidates he opposes gay marriage), as a nation we could do worse. I just worry about his lack of experience, last time we elected an “outsider” and things haven’t turned out so well.

MP3: Catch 22- Sounds Good, But I Don’t Know

Hilary Clinton- I seem to be one of the few people without any strong opinions about Hilary. She seems ok, I worry that if she wins the primaries she might be too divisive to win the presidency but who knows.

MP3: Robert Blake- Ok, Not Great

John Edwards- Meh, like Clinton and Obama I have mixed feeling towards Edwards. He seems ok but his environmental record isn’t great.

MP3: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names- Trees and Squirrels

Joe Biden- Biden didn’t stand out during this debate and I doubt he’ll get too far, it seems like he’s gotten most of his press from putting his foot in his mouth.

MP3: Fugazi- Bad Mouth

Christopher Dodd and Bill Richardson- I don’t know very much about either and since they didn’t make much of an impression during the debate I’m not inclined to read up on them. I don’t think either is gonna be the next president.

MP3: Salaryman- Dull Normal

Buy: Groovie Ghoulies, Millencolin, Catch 22, Robert Blake, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Fugazi, Salaryman

The Slackers

I moved to Brooklyn a couple weeks ago so it’s about time I showed some blog love for a Brooklyn band. And since I have yet to find a job what better band than the Slackers? I think one of the most interesting Slackers albums is 2003’s Close My Eyes. More than typical party-ska Close My Eyes was written about the bands reaction to 9/11 and the events that followed.

MP3: The Slackers- Real War
MP3: The Slackers- Axes

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Blanks 77 Haiku

A little haiku about the NJ punk band, Blanks 77:

Parties and moshpits
Catchy tunes, you'll sing along
Pogo, my friend, DANCE!

MP3s:
Blanks 77 - Long Paper
Blanks 77 - Radio Hits
Blanks 77 - New Orleans
Blanks 77 - Little Girl Blue

Buy:
Radical Records

Radio Silence

No music today folks. Today, June 26^th is a National Day of Silence for internet radio and the Housewives are showing solidarity.

“On March 2, 2007 the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which oversees sound recording royalties paid by Internet radio services, increased Internet radio's royalty burden between 300 and 1200 percent and thereby jeopardized the industry’s future.

At the request of the Recording Industry Association of America, the CRB ignored the fact that Internet radio royalties were already double what satellite radio pays, and multiplied the royalties even further. The 2005 royalty rate was 7/100 of a penny per song streamed; the 2010 rate will be 19/100 of a penny per song streamed. And for small webcasters that were able to calculate royalties as a percentage of revenue in 2005 – that option was quashed by the CRB, so small webcasters’ royalties will grow exponentially!

Before this ruling was handed down, the vast majority of webcasters were barely making ends meet as Internet radio advertising revenue is just beginning to develop. Without a doubt most Internet radio services will go bankrupt and cease webcasting if this royalty rate is not reversed by the Congress, and webcasters’ demise will mean a great loss of creative and diverse radio. Surviving webcasters will need sweetheart licenses that major record labels will be only too happy to offer, so long as the webcaster permits the major label to control the programming and playlist. Is that the Internet radio you care to hear?

As you know, the wonderful diversity of Internet radio is enjoyed by tens of millions of Americans and provides promotional and royalty opportunities to independent labels and artists that are not available to them on broadcast radio. What you may not know is that in just the last year Internet radio listening jumped dramatically, from 45 million listeners per month to 72 million listeners each month. Internet radio is already popular and it is already benefiting thousands of artists who are finding new fans online every day.

Action must be taken to stop this faulty ruling from destroying the future of Internet radio that so many millions of listeners depend on each day. Instead of relying on lawyers filing appeals in the CRB and the courts, the SaveNetRadio Coalition has been formed to represent every webcaster, every Net Radio listener, and every artist who enjoys and benefits from this medium. Please join our fight for the preservation of Internet radio.”

-Savenetradio.org

Luna

A friend lent me Luna’s album Rendezvous a couple of hours ago and I already have a burning desire to tell the world about it. I don’t know how I missed this band before, they’ve been around since 1991. Anyway I highly recommend Rendezvous, singer Dean Wareham’s voice is a nice complement to the jittery music and the lyrics are simple and beautiful.

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

I'm A Fucked Up Dancer, But My Moods Are SWINGING!

Greatest. Album. Title. Ever. Which is appropriate that the band I Against I would be really creative with their album name on account their band name is stolen from a Bad Brains song (a hella good song). Anyways, back in their heyday, I Against I hailed from Holland, and never really caught on over here in the States (I've read it's because of their "Dutch" sound, but I have no clue what the fuck that even means. I didn't know they were from Holland for years). Regardless, the one album they did release in America "Headcleaner", is a really solid poppier punk album (and one of the first punk albums I've ever owned). Some really catchy songs by this band.

Buy Stuff.
Epitaph
From Headcleaner:
MP3: I Against I - Maybe Tomorrow (my favorite)
MP3: I Against I - Stumble and Stare
MP3: I Against I - Top Of The World

From I'm A Fucked Up Dancer But My Moods Are Swinging:
MP3: I Against I - Nothing Happened

John Vanderslice

Vanderslice, go ahead, say it out loud, Vanderslice! What a great name. To be honest I get kind of bored by his recorded work but I’ve seen him open for the Mountain Goats at a few shows and each time his energy and showmanship have astounded me. TinyMixTapes has a fantastic interview with Mr. Vanderslice up where he discusses, among other things, the new ease of finding music.

This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, I really don’t take the time I used to with new albums, there’s so much to listen to that if something doesn’t hit me in the first few listens I forget about it. How many great albums have I past up just in the last week? Vanderslice had some interesting things to say on the topic:

“Maybe it’s a zero-sum game. If you grew up in the vinyl age, maybe your record collection was 25 albums... and that was a sizable collection! And maybe half of them were David Bowie records. In a sense, maybe you have a Cream album and a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album, so in your world those albums have tremendous weight to them. And I think it is zero-sum because now... yeah, maybe it’s more difficult, there’s more white noise, but also maybe there’s 400-500 records on your iPod, and I guarantee that 100 to 200 to 300 of those are really worth talking about!

Or worth thinking about. But the thing is that as we go further down this road, everything is gonna mean less, but there’s gonna be more that means something, and I think that’s zero-sum, and I think that’s also beautiful, because anything that brings you towards a pure democracy is good.”

MP3: John Vanderslice- Promising Actress
MP3: John Vanderslice- Peacocks In The Video Rain

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Adem

Adem Ilhan is most well known as the bass player for Fridge but beginning in 2003 he began recording indie/folk under the name Adem releasing Homesongs in 2004 and Love and Other Planets last year. Although some track have quite a bit of instrumentation they still have a sparse beauty. His crooning reminds me of Kid A era Radiohead, especially the song Crashlander.

MP3: Adem- Launch Yourself
MP3: Adem- Crashlander

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Bambi's Dilemma

silverunity:


It's no big surprise that we housewives love Melt Banana, although I never thought I'd be saying this... Melt Banana is punk rock as all hell, and Bambi's Dilemma proves it. Bambi's Dilemma, which Melt Banana released last month, was under fire from longtime fans, saying that it wasn't experimental enough, and some even went as far to call it poppy. While I wouldn't go as far to call it "poppy" (the chord progressions and experimental nature of the songs are still too damn random to be enjoyed by mainstream audiences), the songs definitely are more accessible, and I don't mean this in a bad way.

Songs such as Type: Ecco System prove that Melt Banana is still about the random soundscapes (and there are about 7 other songs on the album in the same vein), but there are plenty that any punk fan would like, even if you've never been a big fan. I wanted to review Cell-Scape as well, but I'll save that for another post.

MP3: Melt Banana - Spider Snipe
MP3: Melt Banana - Blank Page Of The Blind
MP3: Melt Banana - Heiwaboke Crisis
MP3: Melt Banana - Green Eyed Devil

MP3: Melt Banana - Lost Parts Stinging Me So Cold
(From Cell-Scrape, but it's my favorite MB song... so I couldn't resist. Oh and if you want to sing along to this one... Here are the lyrics.

Buy:
Bambi's Dilemma
Cell-Scape

Spoon

I like Spoon’s new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga like I like the rest of Spoon’s albums, in small doses. It’s really great catchy music and Brit Daniel’s crisp voice is the perfect complement to the tightly orchestrated parts. The problem is by the end of the album it all starts to sound the same, there’s not a lot of variation. That being said, I do have a few favorites (below) and if you’re gonna stick with one sound this is a pretty damn good one.

MP3: Spoon- The Underdog
MP3: Spoon- Don't You Evah

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

June 17th

June 17^th is an important date in history. Today in 1944 Iceland became independent from Denmark and formed a republic, in 1823 the waterproof material for raincoats was patented. In 1958 Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys was born. Jello was not the only important punk rocker born on June 17^th though, so was SilverUnity! Time to break out the cake, the gifts and the party hats!

MP3: Groovie Ghoulies- Happy Birthday Song
MP3: The Vandals- Happy Birthday to Me
MP3: Clem Snide- Happy Birthday

Buy:
Groovie Ghoulies
The Vandals
Clem Snide

David and the Citizens Interview

You may remember our last David and the Citizens post ended on an unsure note. Luckily the band is back in full force! The Housewives got a chance to send frontman David Fridlund some questions, check it out:

Midwestern Housewives- On the whole Until The Sadness Is Gone seemed like a fairly upbeat album. From what I've read on your myspace blog it sounds like this has been a rough year and the new demo "A House With No Windows" sounds pretty grim. Do you think your next album will be darker than the last?

David Fridlund- I think the next album will be a perfect mix of very angry/sad songs and songs that breath some kind of love/hope for a future. My intentions right now are to try to write pop songs again cos I haven't really done that for a while. The latest album "Stop the Tape! Stop the Tape! (not yet released in the US) was more of a rock album, by David & the Citizens standard that is…, and the stuff I've been working on since then is more piano based and more experimental.

MH- On that note, do you usually write from personal experience or are most of your songs entirely fictional?

DF- I almost always write songs from personal experience. Occasionally I have written songs after I have read a certain book or seen a movie, but those songs are exceptions. The first two albums I wrote was a kind of therapy for me after my mother killed herself in 1998. I got all my sadness and frustration out of me by writing on that subject again and again. I still return to it, but not as often as I used to.
I guess "Stop the tape! Stop the Tape!" was based a lot on the frustration I was feeling at the time with the band. I recently split up with the guys that have been playing with me for 8 years simply because we didn't get along any more. I had planned to work with them through summer and do all the tours and stuff that we had booked, and then say "thanx and goodbye" but unfortunately we didn't last that long and I had to find new members a little sooner that I had planned. But that's ok, we're rehearsing again and it sounds great. So with all that now behind me I feel like writing pop songs again!

MH- What have you been listening to lately? Do you think this has influenced your work at all?

DF- My girlfriend Sara Culler who is also a musician by the way became friends over MySpace with Irish duo Oppenheimer about a year ago, and their album is one of the greatest pop albums ever recorded. And they are the nicest guys you'll ever meet. (They got Sara her first show in Northern Ireland and they also did a show together in Connecticut in March).
I've also been listening a lot to Headlights "Kill them with kindness".

I don't feel like it has influenced me very much when it comes to my own music though, because I have always tried to follow my own path. I don't know what influences me, but it's not as much other bands as it is life itself and relations with other people. Not necessarily LOVE, but relations in general I find really interesting and educational. You think you know someone, but a lot of times you discover you really don't…Like this guy I used to know who was kind of a hang around with David & the Citizens. I thought we were friends, but as the band broke up, he completely turned around and stabbed me in the back and he chose to do it on a certain website where he is one of the writers. Without even talking to me, he wrote a lot of bullshit about me and my girlfriend that was nothing but…bullshit.
So, my point being: you never know how people work and how they think and interact. And that is interesting and inspiring to me.

MH- I love the clapping in your song "Devil" from the album Stop the Tape Stop the Tape, I'm always a sucker for clapping, is there any particular sound or instrument that always catches your ear?

DF- Ah yeah - the handclap is one of those things! What a simple and yet so efficient tool! I'm also a sucker for horns, trumpets and brass. Great stuff!

MH- Who do you think your greatest musical influences are?

DF- The Beatles. The Pixies. Elliot Smith. Bob Hund. Neutral Milk Hotel. Those are all bands that opened my eyes for me in different ways and at different times.

MH- What’s the music scene like in Malmö?

DF- I don't really know. I never go out. I guess the club scene is alive and sparkling and the chances of seeing a good band live are better now then they were a couple of years ago. Lots of students here nowadays, so…pretty good I think…but at the same time it feels like the competition is a lot tougher now as well…

MH- So many US punk bands are always singing about socialist ideals, since it seems like Sweden's cabinet is already full of social democrats what do Swedish punk bands sing about?

DF- Don't they all sing about death to imperialism and capitalism…? And how great it is to be filthy and drunk, not giving a piss about anything or anyone? ;-)
Seriously - I don't know.

MH- If someone made a movie about your life what actor would you want to play you? What band should do the soundtrack?

DF- That'd be one boring movie. Let's not do that for real ;-=

MH- If David and the Citizens was a breakfast cereal, what breakfast cereal would it be?

DF- Something sweet and nutritious at the same time. Are there any serials like that? I bet they have it on Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods! If I get the chance I'll move to the States for real and I'll do all my shopping there!

MP3: David and the Citizens- Devil
MP3: David and the Citizens- A House With No Windows (demo)

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Chrono Trigger? (This one is for you Jim)

silverunity:


So, updates for me have been pretty scarce since it's sort of difficult to post on a blog when you don't have the internet (gonna be moving soon). You may ask what I've been doing lately without the internet...... and let me just say, a lot of Chrono Trigger.

Now I know a lot of you are probably thinking "why the hell is there a video game posting on a music site" but understand, that I do not have any of my music on the computer I'm on. And besides, for a snes game, CT has some of the sickest music made for a videogame.

So Jim... our biggest fan, this one's for you buddy. And don't worry, in a bit, once i get the world wide web back.... there will be more punk rock than you can shake a molotov cocktail at.

Oh, and what is everyone's favorite lineup? Mine would be chrono, magus, and frog.

MP3: Chrono Trigger - Robo's Theme
MP3: Chrono Trigger - Delightful Spekkio
MP3: Chrono Trigger - The Trial
MP3: Chrono Trigger - Frog's Theme

buy chrono trigger crap.

The Vandals

I love the Vandals; I wonder if that means I’m really immature. It’s possible, the California punk bands lyrics are usually pretty juvenile but always funny. How could you go wrong with a band that releases albums with names like Hitler Bad, Vandals Good, and Live Fast, Diarrhea? Unlike all the other punk bands we’ve posted (R.I.P. Groovie Ghoulies) the Vandals are still around today!

MP3: The Vandals- I’ve Got an Ape Drape
MP3: The Vandals- I Have a Date

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Band of Horses

You’ve probably already heard of indie-rock darlings Band of Horses but in case you’ve been living in a hole here are a few songs to check out. I was really excited when I read they were playing pitchfork last summer and was pumped to see them but it turned out they were playing right before the Mountain Goats played at a different stage. Obviously I had to stake out a good spot for the Goats (oh I did, and it was awesome), but I could hear Band of Horses pretty well from the other stage and from what I heard they sounded great. I love how they can rock out and sound wistful at the same time. Their first release Everything All The Time was easily one of the best albums of last year. So why am I writing about them now? Well for one I Guess I’m Floating has a great B-side of theirs up now which just reminded me how awesome they are.

MP3: Band of Horses- Wicked Gil
MP3: Band of Horses- I Go To The Barn Because I Like The

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Melt Banana

Q: What band could SilverUnity- the punk rocker, Sasha- the indie kid and AquarianBeauty- the early 90s dance-pop lover all go see and love?

A: Melt Banana, a Japanese noise rock band. Here's what we all thought of the show:

AquarianBeauty: Sasha, Silver Unity and I were lucky enough to see Melt Banana last night. I had heard some on their stuff before and saw some live videos on the youtube, but this was my first experience seeing them live...and let me tell you....it was AMAZING! If you have heard of Melt Banana and vaguely thought, “hey maybe that would be a cool band to see live”...then definitely do it because you will be forever grateful you did. But enough about Melt Banana, because I know that Sasha and Silver Unity will do that up enough for me. I instead would like to discuss the opening band, Hex Machine. Now, at first I had planned this post just to bash the band...but I had a lot of time on the way back home to think about it. I was going to discuss that when I first heard them I was like...”Hmmm..experimental hair metal?”...and then later Silver Unity suggested “Bad Pantera?”

Either way, all three of us found ourselves making up new lyrics in our heads to get through the set. So, after the ride home, I realized, “Hey..Melt Banana is a weird fucking band..and what else would you expect the opening band to be?” Also, the three of us were super pumped to see Melt Banana so sitting through any opening band would have been torture. And last, I have to give Hex Machine some credit because they had good energy for a crowd that was at worse, listless and impatient and at best un-enthused. Although, I do recall seeing one kid pumped for life up at the front...so there ya go. Anyways, check out their myspace because if they had not been opening for Melt Banana....maybe they would have been better.

SilverUnity: Melt Banana will seriously melt your face. I've heard that Melt Banana's music simply does not translate well on CD compared to their live show, and after seeing them, I now understand what everyone means. While I occasionally listen to Melt Banana, I can't honestly say that I really know any of their songs (besides Ketchup-Mess and their Monkey Man cover), but somehow, I was able to get into their energetic-million-mile-per-hour-speed-induced performance. And by get into, I mean really get into. If you love Melt Banana... I don't need to tell you this, but go see them live. If you hate Melt Banana... go see them live. If you never heard of Melt Banana... go see them live. Even AquarianBeauty was getting really into it, and her preferable style of music is 90s pop, oldies, and country. One of the best shows I've ever seen (and I've seen plenty, so that's saying a lot).

Sasha: Well you get the picture already, it was an awesome awesome show, if you ever get the chance go see them. If the three of us can agree on a band chances are whatever music you like you’ll love Melt Banana. If you’re still not convinced check out this video and these songs:



MP3: Melt Banana- Monkey Man (Toots and the Maytals cover)
MP3: Melt Banana- I Hate It!

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Tokyo Drift

Aquarian Beauty:

TOKYO DRIFT

OK, I know what you're thinking. "Why the hell are you posting on the fast and the furious..let alone the third one?" But I am telling you, only the reader that has not seen Tokyo Drift would dare ask that question. I say this because my friend, this movie is simply amazing. And by amazing, I mean, amazingly ridiculous. Sasha was the one who urged me to watch it and now I find that it once I have popped, I indeed cannot stop. HOWEVER, there are a few things I would like to point out about this movie which is worth some discussion. Number one, the main girl who is clearly the object of all desire is hot....for about 5 seconds until you get a good look at her jaw and realize...holy shit...she's got a big fucking face. She is what I would call a butter face...(she's got a hot body....but-her face!) OKay, and also, number two...how is sending that kid to Japan the only option. That would never actually be an option...ever. That is never explained. Third...how the hell does that kid know Japan so well...? Why does everyone expect him to find his way around? Also, the guitar that he is carrying when he first gets off the airplane never shows up again...why? Also! Why is he father OK with his carrying on with the racing only after that crazy mob kid holds a gun to his face. I feel like this is the opposite reaction most parents would have.

Anyways, these are some of the points which don't make any sense in the movie. But believe you me, these only help to enhance the hilarity of the film which wasn't trying to be funny. This is a definite rent.


Enjoy it!

Califone

Califone is a Chicago band named after a brand of audio equitment. I picked up their last release Roots & Crowns a few months ago but never really listened to it until this week. It’s nice music, nothing I could get amped up about but something I would like to fall asleep to. I don’t know if that sounded like a compliment but that’s how I meant it. It’s not boring, it's just kind of dreamy.

MP3: Califone- The Eye You Lost in the Crusades
MP3: Califone- Black Metal Valentine

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Kill Whitey!

silverunity:


Well I just got back from a wedding, and this time around they actually played my request.
Yes, two out of the three housewives ripped up the dance floor (there was even a slide across the floor during the wailing guitar solo). But enough about weddings, this post is about Killing Whitey.

Or the band INDK actually, which I have been listening to pretty non-stop lately. Besides having a band name that looks like it came off some cheesy license plate (say INDK out loud... you'll get it), INDK is part of the whole crack rock steady family, with Ezra being the lead singer and Skwert from Choking Victim playing drums. In the same vein as Choking Victim, the band broke up while recording their full length "Kill Whitey!"

INDK plays a bit more straight up punk rock than LoC and Choking Victim, but you can definitely tell that INDK belongs in the Crack family. I was sold instantly due to all the "Whoa's" in their song (I'm a sucker for a good whoa). So what are you waiting for? Go on and Kill Whitey! Especially by listening to East Coast Rising (featuring the STZA).

MP3: INDK - East Coast Rising
MP3: INDK - In Decay
MP3: INDK - Rent For Sale

buy the crack rock steady beat:
Go Kart Records

The Magnetic Fields

Not another one-man band with a handful of other rotating musicians. It seems like that’s the only kind of band I listen to these days. The Magnetic Fields are a project Stephin Merritt started in the 90s in New York. Sometimes called synth-pop the band reminds me of the Smiths or Belle and Sebastian. The selling point of the band for me are the witty lyrics, check out especially The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side.

MP3: The Magnetic Fields- The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side
MP3: The Magnetic Fields- Born On A Train

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Mates of State

Mates of State are Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. Formed in Kansas in 1997 the married couple make minimalist pop. To be honest I wasn’t won over by the band right away. It took countless car trips with a friend who kept their latest album Bring it Back in his stereo on repeat. So either I was brainwashed or it actually is a great album I’m leaning towards the later but check out these songs and make up your own mind.

MP3: Mates of State- Fraud In The 80’s
MP3: Mates of State- Running Out

P.S. Don’t just take my word for it, Ira Glass is a fan too!

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

The Polyphonic Spree

Q: What would happen if someone saw “one photo a day” and decided to make a music video?

A: It would turn out pretty cool I guess.

MP3: The Polyphonic Spree- Running Away
MP3: The Polyphonic Spree- Light & Day / Reach For The Sun

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Soltero

Sasha:Like so many other bands I’ve been writing about Soltero is the creation of one man backed by a group of changing musicians. This man is Philadelphia based singer-songwriter Tim Howard. There are a lot of things about Soltero to love, the songs that start slowly and quietly then in the last minutes swell to a triumphant climax, Howards hushed gravely voice, but the greatest thing by far are the lyrics especially listen to the words in Communist Love Song, they’re sad and clever and picturesque at the same time. Wonderful!

MP3: Soltero- Communist Love Song
MP3: Soltero- Poughkeepsie’s Always Proud
MP3: Soltero- The Moment You Said Yes

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Clem Snide

Sasha:

Clem Snide is a William S. Burroughs character from Naked Lunch, The Ticket That Exploded and Exterminator! This blog entry is more concerned with the band of the same name though. That band is the project of Eef Barzelay and group of rotating musicians. First formed in 1991 while Barzelay was in college the band has broken up and reformed a handful of times with different members. In 2001 their song “Moment in the Sun” was chosen for the opening theme to the second season of Ed (apparently fragile fans were too shaken up by the change and the show switched back to the original Foo Fighters song in the third season). Actually I don’t think Moment in the Sun is the bands best work. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong, its bitter and clever like all of Barzelay’s best work but it just doesn’t pack the punch of Messiah Complex Blues or Grow Me Up.

MP3: Clem Snide- Messiah Complex Blues
MP3: Clem Snide- Grow Me Up
MP3: Clem Snide- Moment in the Sun

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

Sasha:Next in our series of bearded one man bands is Bonnie “Prince” Billy aka Will Oldham the former mastermind behind Palace Music. He has been called an “Appalachian post-punk solipsist” I really love that description but if you’re looking for something more concrete I’d say he makes sad bastard folk music. Even in his more orchestrated pieces there’s a simplicity to him music I really enjoy sort of like Smog or Never Say Goodbye era Roky Erickson.

MP3: Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Death To Everyone
MP3: Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Today I Was An Evil One

Also check out his wonderful video for the song Cursed Sleep.

Buy:
Insound
Amazon

New England

Sasha:

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of New England hitting New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut. I saw a lot of trees and buildings, wow! Here’s a collection of songs celebrating my return from the wilds of the north.

MP3: Big D and the Kids Table- New England (a housewives favorite)
MP3: The Toasters- New York Fever
MP3: The Pixies- U-Mass
MP3: Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band- Moonlight on Vermont
MP3: The Impossibles- Connecticut

Buy:
Big D and the Kids Table, The Toasters, The Pixies, Captain Beefheart, The Impossibles