Monday morning, coming down

Here's an afternoon post with some late-night music on it, for your early morning listenin' pleasure. Happy hangover, chilluns.

The Butterfield Blues Band busted open the blues in 1966 with the 13-plus-minute title track from their album East–West. Wow. White British blues-rockers having listened to Coltrane and Indian music whack out a freaky jam worthy of gold statues and fireworks. A must-have.

buy the CD: Butterfield Blues Band East–West

• Butterfield Blues Band: East–West (via RapidShare)

Dry Drunk Emperor

At the risk of sounding like a TV on the Radio junkie — well, I just discovered them, so cut me some slack, alright? — here's another link to an unreleased TVOTR song, "Dry Drunk Emperor." The studio version, as with so much of their work, is less impressive than the live version, but it's still shockingly good. Pass it on.

TVOTR: Dry Drunk Emperor (MP3)

•Touch and Go Records
•TVOTR home
•TVOTR at eMusic

Other People's Lives

I was recently reminded of another overlooked album of 2006: Ray Davies' Other People's Lives. It received favourable reviews upon release, was hyped for about two weeks, then disappeared off the face of the earth. I thought it was a strong showing from one of the best living songwriters; meaning it's a damn good album. He'll never recreate the excitement of the Kinks' most fruitful period 1966–1972—how could he? Who can?!—and it's unfair to judge his new record by that standard. This is still about a billion times better than most of the other shite out there.



•Ray Davies: Over My Head (via RapidShare)
•Ray Davies: Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After) (via RapidShare)

Ray Davies home myspace kinks

Battle of the song titles, v. 2.0

"... brought down to a pile of rubble. Meanwhile, in the occupied territory known as 'Canada,' two rebel groups are fighting over another piece of real estate: the song title 'Shine a Light.' Originally claimed by the more liberal Southern churches, it was occupied in 1972 when The Rolling Stones staged a coup d'état. In 2005, however, these bands of desperate, bloodthirsty youth overtook the territory, and its ownership remains in dispute. Which will emerge victorious is anybody's guess. Listen for yourself. For Aubade News, I'm Stack o' Lee wishing you all a little more light this Solstice."

•The Constantines: Shine a Light (via RapidShare)
•Wolf Parade: Shine a Light (via RapidShare)

The Constantines home myspace Radio 3
Wolf Parade home myspace Radio 3

TV On The Radio on the Radio

This fantastic TVOTR show (on Minnesota Public Radio, no less) comes courtesy of B(oot)log, but his links are no longer active. I'm here to give this show a second life on your iPod (the MPR stream is great if you sit at a desk all day, but unfortunately those of us with hammers in our hands don't have the luxury).

(Side note: I'm lucky as hell I can tote an iPod to work, actually—most of the jobsites I've been on won't allow them, but I've been on some cushy ones lately.)



•TVOMPR (Three songs and two interview snippets as a StuffIt file via RapidShare. Please let me know, windows users, if you can't unzip this.)

•(edit: apparently Windows users can't unzip. Here, then, are the 3 songs. The interviews aren't that fascinating anyhow.)
>Young Liars (via RapidShare)
>Dry Drunk Emperor (via RapidShare)
>Wash the Day Away (via RapidShare)

•Buy TVOTR's EPs and first album from eMusic.

•TVOTR dot com

Battle of the song titles, v. 1.0

Lay-deez! and! Gemmin!

In THIS cohnah, weighing a dolla-buck-fiddy and a half, from Warshington, D.C., The Cassettes!

And in THIS cohnah, resteen on theah laurels, thee reigning blubbaweight chamPEENS of the woild, The Rolling Stones!

Each contendah has a song yclept "Sweet Virginny," and tonight! For one night only! Theah songs will face off head-to-head and toe-to-toe! One will emerge from the fray bloodied and bruised but victorious, and the othah! Will! Perish!

•The Cassettes: Sweet Virginia (via RapidShare)
•The Rolling Stones: Sweet Virginia (via RapidShare)

Best of 2006

Aw, gee, I'd like to post a "Best of 2006" album list but the albums I discovered in 2006 go all over back to the '60s (it was a very modern year for me). I got an iPod in September, which kicked off a furious round of scouring the MP3blogs for the latest tasties, and I'm still playing catch-up. So I'm going to put in only one plug, for a very overlooked and very worthy album: Jay Crocker's Melodies from the Outskirts. It's an absolutely killer piece of work, solid on the songwriting and a mammoth in performance: HORNS GALORE.



It's not rock, it's not jazz. It's not traditional anything. And it sure as hell ain't "chamber pop." It sounds like the bastard union of a menage a trois between Ron Sexsmith, Allan Toussaint, and The James Gang. Sometimes torchy, sometimes funky, sometimes plain off-the-frickin'-wall, it's the kind of record that'll leave you shaking your head saying where did this kid come from, and why haven't I heard of him?

Check out free downloads at Jay's home site. Buy the CD. Thrill! Thrill! Thrill!