World Premiere Video: New Jaydiohead
Here’s the first video from Max Tannone, who’s Jaydiohead project was featured here last year.
24th May2010
0 Comm
28th Apr2010
Max Tannone: The Mos Dub project
In the wrong hands, a mash-up is a trite, unimaginative attempt to create poorly designed art. And then there’s Max Tannone. His work as the mastermind behind the acclaimed Jaydiohead project drew the attention of Jay-Z (!) and the Beastie Boys. He followed that up by working with the Beasties for the “Doublecheck Your Head” remix. Now he has released another great mash-up, combining the work of Mos Def with great Jamaican dub music. We interviewed Max in April of 2009 to discuss his work on Jaydiohead and thought this was a perfect time to touch base to have him explain his great new project. You must listen to this, to appreciate what a great concept this is. Listen, learn, enjoy…..
07th Dec2009
The Dumbing of America's Top 20 Albums of 2009
In the end, we think this was truly a great year for music. We would argue that this was the year of the new band, with 75% of our top 20 consisting of debut albums. As we started going through this list, we recognized that we’d interviewed many of the bands listed. As you know, based on our refusal to accept advertising, we’ve been adamant in our refusal to be influenced by labels, promoters, etc.. Frankly, when we heard some of these albums, we were on the phone trying to track the bands down for an interview. Thus you can always assume that the interviews you read are truly from our favorite bands. We hope that there are a few in here that are new to you and that we help to expand your horizons in the same way that these groups have.
1. Alberta Cross- Broken Side of Time
2. The Boxer Rebellion- Union
3. Heat-Ray- Love All Over
4. Lovvers- OCD Go Go Go Girls
5. Fruit Bats- The Ruminant Band
6. Royal Treatment Plant- Hope Is Not Enough
7. Boat Beam- Puzzle Shapes
8. The Mountain Goats- The Life of the World to Come
9. The XX- S/T
10. The Big Pink- A Brief History of Love
11. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- S/T
12. Julian Plenti- …Is Skyscraper
13. Jason Lytle- Yours Truly, The Commander
14. The Joy Formidable- A Ballon Called Morning
15. Gliss- Devotion/Implosion
16. Grand Analog- Metropolis Is Burning
17. The Black Box Revelation- Set Your Head On Fire
18. Ten City Nation- At The Still Point
19. Jaydiohead- S/T
Jaydiohead – 99 Anthems from Max Tannone on Vimeo.
20. It Hugs Back- Inside Your Guitar
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04th Dec2009
Top Albums of 2009: The Artists' Picks
We remember a time when Rolling Stone used to do a wrap-up issue at the end of each year with their critics top ten. Now every website on the planet (including ours!) spews out their own, holier than thou list. But RS used to have the decency to ask the popular artists of the time to submit their own top ten lists, which were either good for a chuckle or a trip to the record store.
In the spirit of sending you off to buy some new records, we’ve asked a few bands/musicians/writers to give us a sense of their favorite records of the past year. Why do we love the bands we interview? They challenge us and you’ll find a lot of really interesting picks amongst these. We think these lists also give you valuable insight into the thought processes of these artists. Cue up the Spotify and Lala search engines and take a listen to a few of these gems.
Charlotte Hatherley (Bats For Lashes, Ash, solo)
1. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. Squarepusher – Just A Souvenir
4. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
5. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Petter Ericson Stakee (Alberta Cross)
Phosphorescent – To Willie
PJ Harvey and John Parish – A Woman a Man Walked By
Dead Confederate ‘Wrecking Ball’ (We are aware it’s from last year but still think it should be on there as it didn’t receive enough credit in 2008.)
John Alexander Ericson- Songs from the White sea
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears- Tell Em What Your Name Is
Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
Darker My Love
1. Thee Oh Sees- HELP
2. Cass McCombs- Catacombs
3. King Tuff- Was Dead
4. Strange Boys- …and Girls Club
5. A Place To Bury Strangers- Exploding Head
6. Tim Hecker- An Imaginary Country
7. Kurt Vile- Childish Prodigy
8. Pearl Harbor- Something About Chaparrals
9. Mocky- Saskamodie
10. Girls / Album
Brad Laner (Medicine/Solo)
1. Beatles Remasters / Beatles Rock Band
2. Neil Young – Archive Vol. 1
3. Baby Champ – Faya/Maya
4. Shits and Giggles – Trick or Treat
5. Helado Negro – Awe Owe
6. Where The Action Is! (Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968)
7. Bell Gardens – A Series Of Farewells
8. Slaraffenland – We’re on Your Side
9. Baths – http://www.myspace.com/bathsmusic
10. The Silent League -But You’ve Always Been the Caretaker
Milo (The Big Pink)
1. Comanechi – Crime of Love
2. A Grave With No Name – Mountain Debris
3. Pre – Hope Freaks
4. Cold Cave – Love Comes Close
5. The Horrors – Primary Colours
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Its Blitz
Max Tannone (Jaydiohead)
1. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
2. Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon
3. Peter Bjorn and John – Living Thing
4. La Roux – La Roux
5. Boys Noize – Power
Aurelio Valle (Calla)
1. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s-It’s Blitz
2. Fever Ray-S/T
3. Kid Cudi-Man on the Moon:End of the Day
4. Flaming Lips-Embryonic
5. Animal Collective-Merriweather Post Pavilion
6. Raekwon-Only Built for Cuban Linx pt.2
7. Antony and the Johnsons-The Crying Light
8. Jay-Z-The Blueprint
9. U2-The Unforgettable Fire Re-issue
10. Bat for Lashes-Two Suns
Simon Reynolds (author/music critic)
1. Micachu and the Shapes, Jewellry (Rough Trade)
2. The Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca (Domino)
3. Moon Wiring Club — Striped Paint for the Last Post (Gecophonic)
4. Dolphins Into The Future, On Sea Faring Isolation (No Not Fun)
5. Oneohtrix Point Never, Rifts (No Fun)
6. Belbury Poly, From An Ancient Star (Ghost Box)
7. Roj, The Transactional Dharma of Roj (Ghost Box)
8. Broadcast & The Focus Group, Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age (Warp)
9. Woebot, East Central One (Hollow Earth)
10. Mordant Music, SyMptoMs (Mordant Music)
Matty (The Soft Pack)
Kurt Vile- Constant Hitmaker
Women- Self Titled
Cold Cave- Love Comes Close
Pearl Harbor- Something about the Chapparals EP
So Cow- So Cow
Obits- I Blame You
Bill Callahan- Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Abe Vigoda- Reviver EP
Friendly Fires- Self Titled
Micachu and the Shapes- Jewellery
Adam (Apteka)
1. The Horrors-Primary Colours
2. Nirvana-Live at Redding
3. Girls-Album
4. Washed Out-Life of Leisure
5. Sonic Youth-The Eternal
6. The Warlocks-The Mirror Explodes
7. Wooden Shjips-Dos
8. The Big Pink-A Brief History of Love
9. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
10. A Place to Bury Strangers-Exploding Head
Home Video
1. Bat for Lashes – Two Suns
2. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
5. The Horrors – Primary Colours
6. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
7. Wave Machines – Wave If You’re Really There
8. Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper
9. JJ- no 2
10. Silk Lung – Just a Thread
Living Things
(in no particular order)
Jay Z- Blueprint 3
The XX – The XX
Girls – Album
Crocodiles – Summer of Hate
Band of Skulls – Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Phoenix – 1901
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
The Big Pink – A Breif History of Love
Living Things – Habeas Corpus !!!!
LR Rockets
Golden Silvers- True Romance
The Horrors- Primary Colours
The Maccabees- Wall of Arms
Florence and the Machine- Lungs
Julian Plenti- Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper
Odario Williams (Grand Analog)
1. Mos Def- The Ecstatic
2. Jay-Z- Blueprint 3
3. Little Dragon- Machine Dreams
4. Blakroc- Blakroc
5. Maiko Watson- Sweet Vibration
6. Raekwon- Only Built For Cuban Linx II
7. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus
8. Maxwell- Blacksummer’s Night
9. Nestor Wynrush- Trinnipeg!78
10. Easy Star All-Stars- Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band
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01st Sep2009
New Max Tannone!
In our continuing effort to update you on our past interview subjects. We interviewed Max Tannone upon the release one of this years’ greatest albums: Jaydiohead. You can read our interview with him here. Since then he’s worked with the Beastie Boys on some remix projects. Today, he has released his newest effort: Doublecheck Your Head. Love it!
You can download it for free at Max’s website here.
22nd Jun2009
Upon Further Review: The Top 10 of 2008 ?!!?
So I was reading through the ‘Guide To Being One Of The Cool Bloggers’ (You can download it on Pitchfork, but you have to answer a 20-question quiz on Kraut-rock before you can access it. I used my Julian Cope book to cheat.) and it says that I have to do a “Best of the first half of 2009″. Seriously? Are the cool kids that desperate for content? I started reading through the lists a few sites have already published and noticed a disturbing trend: They were listing albums released in 2008. Sorry everyone, but Ida Maria was released in July of 2008 and I don’t want to hear the “it wasn’t released in the U.S. until 2009 argument. Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ was released online in 2007 and was properly put on the 2007 “Best of” lists. NOBODY, put but it on their 2008 list.
Instead, I make a different proposition. Why not put out a revised ‘Best of 2008′? I’m the first to admit that sometimes I miss an album release. With so many bands self-releasing albums and with the internet creating a larger number of accessible bands, it’s hard to catch everything. So I’m going to take this opportunity to reflect back on 2008 and list my revised top 10.
Here’s the list I published on January 1 of this year.
1) The Duke Spirit- Neptune (Both of their albums have been my number 1 for their respective year. Clearly, the most under-rated band on the planet)
2) The Virgins- Self-Titled (Still a good pop record, but fading fast in my memory)
3) Darker My Love- 2 (Despite mailing it in when they were interviewed by me, this album still packs a wallop.)
4) Steve Malkmus- Real Emotional Trash (As with many Pavement records, it continues to grow on me. Such a great songwriter.)
5 thru 10 were occupied by albums that I still like, but have quickly faded from my frequently played list: The Kooks (Konk), The Late Greats (Life Without Balloons), The Pigeon Detectives (Emergency), Fujiya & Miyagi (Lightbulbs), We Are Scientists (Brain Thrust Mastery), The Bronx (3)
So, with apologies to those I originally forgot, here’s the revised Best Albums of 2008…with a little perspective:
I’m efforting to post some videos that haven’t been shown here before. With bands like TDS, it’s hard because we’ve written them up so many times. But I’m pretty proud of these brand spankin new videos.
1) The Duke Spirit- Neptune
2) The Black Box Revelation- Set Your Head On Fire
3) The Black Keys- Attack and Release
4) Ida Maria- Fortress ‘Round My Heart
5) Darker My Love- 2
6) Jaydiohead- Jaydiohead: What? I can’t put a mashup album on my list? Well, this is the best mashup I’ve ever heard and deserves to be on this list.
7) Steve Malkmus- Real Emotional Trash
8) Division of Laura Lee- Violence Is Timeless
9) The Pigeon Detectives- Emergency
10) The Virgins- The Virgins
What do you think? What albums did you miss the first time around in 2008, that you’re loving now?
14th Apr2009
Check Your Head
Breaking News! Just got a note from Max (Jaydiohead) Tannone, who wanted to clue us in on the identity of his super secret new project. He’s produced a series of mash-ups for the Beastie Boys! Working with the band on the project, this one is available on the Beasties site here. Click on “News” and you’ll be able to listen to his mashup of “3′s What’Cha Want”. Nothing better than seeing someone that we enjoy get to move on to bigger and better things. Great job, Max!
As more tracks become available and with the Beasties permission, we’ll post more here…
09th Feb2009
Grammy Recap
If I seem a little sluggish this morning, it’s due to the amount of brain cells I lost while watching the Grammy’s last night. I could have heeded by own warning, but since the traffic at our little website has been MEGA lately, I felt obligated to watch and report my findings. Ugh!
Coldplay were a big disappointment because of their failure to get served for their pending plagiarism suit with Joe Satriani. Satriani was cheering for Coldplay (via RollingStone.com) since he….well…wrote the main riff of the song! They won too many awards. They made even Paul McCartney uncomfortable by talking to him while they were onstage accepting awards. They made the worst Beatles self-reference since every Noel Gallagher interview by claiming to look like the cover of Sgt. Peppers (nice job referencing the worst Beatles album guys). The duet with Jay-Z was wretched and I couldn’t help but wonder why nobody from the Grammy’s thought to insist that Jay-Z recreate Jaydiohead by having him duet with Radiohead. Not surprising that the Grammy’s organziers didn’t produce the one duet that would have made sense.
The only highlight of the entire ceremony was Adele making a joke at the Jonas Brothers expense (I’ll try and find the video of this later in the day.). The Jonas Brothers dared to take the stage with the great Stevie Wonder and act like they belonged there. Shameful.
Miley Cyrus and some other teenager sang a song together ( I won’t post the video of this. Find it yourself if you’re in need a self-inflicted lobotomy). Miley seems to think that the only requirement to sing is to expel every ounce of air from your lungs. She really should consider singing in a punk rock band. Nobody would care that hold a note and they’d love that she can sing loudly. Just a thought…
Let’s recap Kid Rock for a minute. If there aren’t headlines everywhere admonishing him for his “guilty of being white” line, shame on everyone. This guy started his career saying bawwitabawwitachittychittybangbang (or something like that) which was supposed to be rock. When people stopped buying that concept he went to Country (or whatever it that Sheryl Crow thing was). Now he starts his first of three (??!!! Radiohead only gets to play one song, but Kid f-ing Rock gets three??!!) with what I guess I would call a gospel song. With Bush out of office, we may need to put Kid Rock in our website description.
Radiohead clearly provided the only good performance of the evening. That sound you heard, was the sound of Fleetwood Mac jumping off a cliff. The rumored collaboration with the USC Marching Band really happened and it really was orignial, not forced, brilliant, powerful and beautiful.
One final word about this Robert Plant thing. Those of you who didn’t understand why Plant isn’t on board for the Led Zepplin reunion should be a little clearer now. He’s busy making crap records that win oodles of Grammy’s and don’t require him to raise his voice above a whisper. By the way, how about Ian Astbury for that role so that he can say he sang for Led Zepplin and The Doors? Really a shame given that he sounded great when Zepplin reformed a couple of years ago for a one-off show in London.
Bonus TDOA items!
Best goal celebration evah!
Piling on Jessica Simpson