Back to the top

More Posts

William Orbit

William Orbit produced Blur and Madonna, remixed Sting, Peter Gabriel and Prince, recorded as a member of the group Torch Song and has just released his eleventh solo album, Pieces in a Modern Style, Vol. 2. This is a follow-up to his 2000 Pieces in a Modern Style, where he reworked classical compositions. From the new album hear a rhythmic version of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude” followed by “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber from the earlier album. This latter song was also remixed for the dance floor and became an international hit, but this is the original Orbit album version which is devastatingly beautiful and one of the saddest songs ever recorded.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4405″]

“Prelude”

[jwplayer mediaid=”4406″]

“Adagio for Strings”

Care Bears on Fire

Reminiscent of The Runaways but younger, Care Bears on Fire formed in 2005 when they were in the 5th grade! Connected to teen and pre-teen kid-core scene, these are not the adolescents of High School Musical. This trio out of Brooklyn (Sophie, vocals/guitar 15, Izzy-drums, 15 and Jena-bass, 16),has released two previous albums and their second EP, Girls Like It Loud, came out this week. A refreshing change from the sugar-coated Disney fodder, “What I Could Be” is the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4403″]

“What I Could Be” by Care Bears On Fire

Antony & the Johnsons: Free download

Swanlights is the fourth studio album from Antony & the Johnsons. Another former Mercury Music Prize winner, Antony has one of the most distinctive voices in all of music. His plaintive operatic timbre is instantly recognizable with a melancholy forlorn that is painfully alone but evocatively engaging. “The Spirit Was Gone” is a free download from the album and is the Song of the Day.

(The video can be seen in the YouTube tab in the upper right. Antony pays tribute to Kazuo Ohno, a pioneer of butoh, a Japanese dance form.)

[jwplayer mediaid=”4400″]

“The Spirit Was Gone” by Antony & the Johnsons

Badly Drawn Boy: Free download

Former Mercury Music Prize winner, singer/songwriter Badly Drawn Boy, has just released It’s What I’m Thinking Pt.1 – Photographing Snowflakes, his seventh studio album. On his website he is offering a free download of a four song EP – demos of some of the songs on the new album. Here is “In Safe Hands”, one such demo, where you can hear a raw stripped version of what eventually became a beautifully produced song.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4398″]

“In Safe Hands (Demo)” by Badly Drawn Boy

Broken Social Scene and classical Pixies

The soundtrack to the film It’s Kind of a Funny Story features a new song from the Canadian music collective Broken Social Scene. And it also includes classical pianist Maxence Cyrin’s brilliant cover of the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind”. Listen to the new Broken Social Scene “Not at My Best” below and view Cyrin’s video of “Where is My Mind”. This video is not from It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Rather it is from the 1928 film The Mysterious Lady starring Greta Garbo.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4396″]

“Not At My Best” by Broken Social Scene

Bright Eyes and Sound Strike

The artist boycott of Arizona continues. I have written about it here in the past (refer to the June 1st post) and the list of Sound Strike artists has grown dramatically: those who refuse to aid Arizona economically in light of the passage of the egregious immigration law SB1070.

Money is being raised for the Sound Strike Fund which “donates needed resources to families caring for children in Arizona whose parents are detained or have been deported, immigrant rights organizing and legal defense”. Sound Strike Songs directly benefits this Fund. And the first Sound Strike Song is from Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes.

In an open letter to artists Conor says: “American ideals of democracy and liberty are built on the foundation that all people, regardless of race or country of origin, deserve fair and equal treatment by the government . . . We’ve all seen the power music has to spread messages of solidarity and hope. Please join the Sound Strike Songs project by donating a track and help us . . . enable people to continue to dream.”

This exclusive moving Sound Strike Song “Coyote Song” from Bright Eyes is a $2.00 download. Below is the video.

Support The Sound Strike. Sign the petition. Download the song. Boycott Arizona!

Exclusive Song for The Sound Strike “Coyote Song” by Bright Eyes. from Producciones Cimarrón on Vimeo.

Stereolab

In April of 2009, Stereolab announced on their website that after 19 years they were going to have “a bit of a rest” and to work on other projects. Although they do not plan to record any new music for awhile they did record numerous tracks in 2007. Out of that recording session came the 2008 album Chemical Chords, and the soon to be released Not Music. From the latter is the “Sun Demon” the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4394″]

“Sun Demon” by Stereolab

Choral Creep

Scala is a Belgian girls’ choir formed by the classical-trained Kolacny Brothers with Stijn conducting and Steven on piano. They have gained international recognition by reworking covers of well-known rock songs by the likes of U2, Nirvana, Metallica, Depeche Mode, the Cure to name a few as well as with their own compositions. Their hauntingly beautiful cover of “Creep” by Radiohead is being used in the trailer of the film The Social Network and is the Song of the Day.

“Creep”
[jwplayer mediaid=”12125″]

British Sea Power: Free download

British Sea Power, the indie rock band from the UK (with brothers Yan and Hamilton), are known for their outlandish stage performances. They have just released the seven-song EP, Zeus. The title track is available for streaming, and a free download of “Living Is So Easy” is available with the simple addition of your email address below. Hear and add to your collection the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4392″]

“Zeus” by British Sea Power

No Age

Punk band No Age rip it up on their third album Everything In Between. The duo of Randy Randall (guitar) and Dean Allen Spunt (drums) is associated with the underground Los Angeles DIY punk scene. They champion the All-Ages Movement Project (AMP-a network of community-based organizations that connect young people through independent music and art) as well as independent radio stations. Their call to arms is Community! Communication! Freedom! “Glitter” is the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4390″]

“Glitter” by No Age

The Social Network

The film The Social Network opens tomorrow to general release. It’s the dramatic story of the early years in the development of Facebook that has forever changed the way that we interact.

I had the opportunity to explore Facebook in its nascent incarnation. In 2004 a neighbor who was attending Harvard University asked if he could produce a short documentary about me for his film class. During the course of the filming, he and his partner told me about this new website that had become overwhelming popular at their school and that was spreading to other college campuses. Membership was restricted to students but they gave me their login information and password. The website revealed many risqué and revealing photographs and much of the content was of a student body unleashed. Facebook then was the wild west that has since been settled and has conquered the world.

The movie has received rave advance reviews. The soundtrack was scored by Trent Reznor and his frequent collaborator, the English composer, Atticus Ross. The soundtrack will be available in later October. Here is a free download of a five song sampler from the album.

“Pieces Form the Whole”
[jwplayer mediaid=”8068″]

Warpaint

Quoting from the band’s website, “Warpaint is an all-girl quartet from Los Angeles. They weave intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia and intimacy.” Their debut album, The Fool, is due in later October. The lovely song “Undertow” is available as a free download and is the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”5090″]

The Thermals

The Thermals are a trio out of Portland, Oregon who have gone through various personnel changes since they formed in 2002, but Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster have remained together as the core of the band. Personal Life is the fifth album from the group and the very catchy bouncy “Never Listen To Me” is the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4386″]

“Never Listen to Me” by The Thermals

The Black Angels

The Black Angels out of Austin have the distinction of not only being a searing psychedelic rock band but also of having briefly backed up the legendary Roky Erickson when he performed a few select dates in 2008. Now their third album, Phosphene Dream, has just been released on Blue Horizons (a label recently reestablished by three notable record executives: Seymour Stein, Richard Gottehrer and Mike Vernon). Hear the contemporary garage sounds of the Black Angels on “Telephone”, the Song of the Day.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4384″]

“Telephone” by The Black Angels

Belle & Sebastian

Belle & Sebastian have been making richly colourful music since 1996. The lush pop sounds from this band from Glasgow create such a sweet aura and for years have enlivened my home filled with guests.
Belle & Sebastian curated the Bowlie Weekender in 1999, a sponsorship-free music festival, conceived as an alternative to the larger corporate festivals, that eventually evolved into All Tomorrow’s Parties. This December the band will curate Bowlie 2 in the English countryside and the line-up includes: Belle & Sebastian, Frightened Rabbit, Julian Cope, The Vaselines, Teenage Fanclub, The New Pornographers, Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan, Foals, Dean Wareham plays Galaxie 500, Dirty Projectors, Field Music, Howlin’ Rain, Crystal Castles, Jenny and Johnny, Best Coast, The Zombies and many more.

Soon we will have a new Belle & Sebastian record. Here is the title track “Write About Love”.

[jwplayer mediaid=”4586″]

Load More
© Copyright Oedipus 2021 | Sponsor The Oedipus Project | Designed by DI-WHY