JASON ANDERSON-“On the Street” (FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD!)
The title of Jason Anderson’s myspace page, “Jason Anderson is Awesome,” may be intended
facetiously, but there’s some truth to it. I’d never heard of him before I found his free EP on The Plugg, but man am I glad I check that blog out regularly.
He’s played with, and counts as friends, Kimya Dawson and Tilly and the Wall, but his sound couldn’t be farther from theirs. “On The Street” is a sweaty, muscular barroom barnstomper—great lyrics, intense passion, fiery guitar solos . . . The title track, “On the Street,” is for Paul Westerberg fans. Driving rock and roll delivered in spurts of noise and volume, with clean vocals. But “July 4, 2004,” is more for Replacements fans. Grinding guitars accented with fuzz and vocals that build through the entire song, climaxing in a gravelly, hoarse shout. This track is truly awesome, and if there’s no other reason to listen to this album, this is enough. But there are other reasons. Most of the record has the ‘Mats feel to it, but I’m more than okay with that. Although, From Here to There introduces a little bit of The Boss in the mix, with a horn solo that sounds vaguely like Clarence. And the hissing, spitting catfight guitar that kicks off “This Will Never Be Our Town” is blazing hot.
Score your own copy here, for free! Note: This is a reprint from my old site--link may be dead.
Bonus cuts!
Leash (Pearl Jam cover)
Alcoholiday (teenage fanclub cover)
THE MENAHAN STREET BAND
Instrumentals aren’t usually my thing, but this one features members of the greatest retro-soul bands of our time: Folks from the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas, and the Budos Band. Topping it off is the tight production by Thomas (“Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings;” “Amy Winehouse”) Brenneck, all completed in Brooklyn. Great hipsway, perfect for a party. You may recognize the single, below, as it was recently sampled by Jay-hova on his American Gangsta record.
Make the Road Walking
BONUS COVER!
Everyone is talking about the new Bloc Party single. Like it or lump it, I still love their first two full lengths.
The Prayer (Bloc Party cover)-KT Tunstall
MIWA GEMINI-“This is How I Found You”
The first song on Miwa Gemini’s new record, “Picnic,” is a somewhat creepy song that brings to mind Tom Waits (but with a better singer) and Bjork (but with more linear songwriting). After all that quiet longing, the record transports us to barroom blues/country, with “Traveling Man” (“My man’s a traveling man/He don’t tell me where he’s been/But it’s not hard to find out where he’s been/He leaves a trail of broken hearts”). Right after that comes “Something Ordinary:” A sad, old-style ballad. And I’m thinking, “Who is this chick?”Miwa is a fisherman’s daughter from a tiny island off of Japan.
Most of her record is just her singing with her guitar, with easy drumming in the background, and yet it sounds so full you’d swear there was more behind her. Yes, it’s well produced, but it’s not just studio magic that’s at work here. Miwa’s voice is amazing, as is her songwriting. Check out the banjo on “Pieces,” for example, or the guitar/piano interplay on “Forever For Never,” and I predict you’ll be hooked.
Her new album is on Canada’s Addictive Records.
Website
Forever For Never
Traveling man
JOE STRUMMER, LIVE, A to Z
By request, a repost. I don't do this often, but for a Joe Strummer fan, I'll make an exception.
Don't worry. I'll be posting more complete shows. But today is devoted to single songs, maybe where I don't have the whole show or where the whole show wasn't all that great, or maybe some single studio cut that was never released . . . A to Z. If y'all dig this, I may do the same for The Clash.
Unlike previous A to Zs, this time there's a zip file at the end and only a few choice cuts individually uploaded. Enjoy.
A is for Afro-Cuban BeBop. A real short cut, sweet and mellow.
B is for The Bobby Fuller Four. I Fought The Law-Joe live. This is probably one of my least favorite tunes when The Clash do it, but on this live version the solos are phenomenal.
C is for another Cover. Blitzkrieg Bob (Ramones)-Joe live. A regular staple of his live act. And unlike Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer always remembered the words.
D is for Dub! Bankrobber Dub-Joe live. It’s enough that it's rare to hear live dub—but even better: New verses!
E is for evil. HBO used this tune for that horrible John From Cincinnati show, and now I can't listen to it without thinking about that miserable mess. Johnny Appleseed (synth mix).
F is for Flea! It's a Rockin' World-Joe Strummer and Flea, visiting South Park.
G is for "Guitar Song", also called Guitar Slinger Man. This isn't great quality, but I've only got one copy of it, so I'm figuring it's somewhat rare.
H is for Hollywood! Joe appeared in Aki Kaurismäki's "I Hired a Contract Killer" playing this song: Burning Lights. It's just him and his guitar.
I is for Ishen. From 11/2/99. A great reggae style tune.
J is for just Joe. Return of the Blues Cowboy. Joe, a piano, and a straightforward country blues tune, from the great Jools Holland show.
K is for the keyboards in Forbidden City (11/6/99). A very simple song, from Joe and the Mescaleros' Rock Art and the X-Ray Style record. I like this version because of the keyboard breakdown at the fadeout. Cool jam.
L is for London Calling. A live solo version, where you can really hear the words.
M is for Movie Soundtrack. In The Pouring Rain is from the movie of the same name, and it's got a recorder in it! (No, it's not a great song, but still--bet most of you don't have it.
M is also for Moses. Get Down Moses. A live version from 2002, delivered like a psychotic Southern preacher.
N is for Nothin’ About Nothin’ (11-2-99). A live version of a track off the “Permanent Record” long-player. This is a great song—one I wish he’d done with The Clash.
O is for an oldie! A somewhat brief bit of Joe at the piano doing Let The Good Times Roll.
P is for Police and Thieves. Musically, there may not be a huge difference between this version and the studio version by the Clash, but Joe’s voice is in rare form here—crisp, clear and fresh. Excellent quality from 10/17/01.
Q is for quiet. A soft version of The Clash classic Armagideon Time from September 1982.
R is for Road to Rock and Roll (acoustic version).
S is for The Specials. A Message To You (live, date unknown).
V is for Victory Lane. A foray into spoken word over music. I dunno about you, but I'm not a fan of Ghetto Defendant for the same reason I'm not a big fan of this rarity.
W is for Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed cover). Joe used to cover this tune a lot. He doesn't do better than Joe on it, but this version has a violin. So check it out.
W is also for Whiteman in Hammersmith Palace. It's my favorite song in the history of the world, I can't think of anything for Z, so this is what I'm putting up.
X is for X-Ray Style 11.16.99
Y is for Yalla Yalla.
Z is for ZIPFILE!
Don't worry. I'll be posting more complete shows. But today is devoted to single songs, maybe where I don't have the whole show or where the whole show wasn't all that great, or maybe some single studio cut that was never released . . . A to Z. If y'all dig this, I may do the same for The Clash.
Unlike previous A to Zs, this time there's a zip file at the end and only a few choice cuts individually uploaded. Enjoy.
A is for Afro-Cuban BeBop. A real short cut, sweet and mellow.
B is for The Bobby Fuller Four. I Fought The Law-Joe live. This is probably one of my least favorite tunes when The Clash do it, but on this live version the solos are phenomenal.
C is for another Cover. Blitzkrieg Bob (Ramones)-Joe live. A regular staple of his live act. And unlike Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer always remembered the words.
D is for Dub! Bankrobber Dub-Joe live. It’s enough that it's rare to hear live dub—but even better: New verses!
E is for evil. HBO used this tune for that horrible John From Cincinnati show, and now I can't listen to it without thinking about that miserable mess. Johnny Appleseed (synth mix).
F is for Flea! It's a Rockin' World-Joe Strummer and Flea, visiting South Park.
G is for "Guitar Song", also called Guitar Slinger Man. This isn't great quality, but I've only got one copy of it, so I'm figuring it's somewhat rare.
H is for Hollywood! Joe appeared in Aki Kaurismäki's "I Hired a Contract Killer" playing this song: Burning Lights. It's just him and his guitar.
I is for Ishen. From 11/2/99. A great reggae style tune.
J is for just Joe. Return of the Blues Cowboy. Joe, a piano, and a straightforward country blues tune, from the great Jools Holland show.
K is for the keyboards in Forbidden City (11/6/99). A very simple song, from Joe and the Mescaleros' Rock Art and the X-Ray Style record. I like this version because of the keyboard breakdown at the fadeout. Cool jam.
L is for London Calling. A live solo version, where you can really hear the words.
M is for Movie Soundtrack. In The Pouring Rain is from the movie of the same name, and it's got a recorder in it! (No, it's not a great song, but still--bet most of you don't have it.
M is also for Moses. Get Down Moses. A live version from 2002, delivered like a psychotic Southern preacher.
N is for Nothin’ About Nothin’ (11-2-99). A live version of a track off the “Permanent Record” long-player. This is a great song—one I wish he’d done with The Clash.
O is for an oldie! A somewhat brief bit of Joe at the piano doing Let The Good Times Roll.
P is for Police and Thieves. Musically, there may not be a huge difference between this version and the studio version by the Clash, but Joe’s voice is in rare form here—crisp, clear and fresh. Excellent quality from 10/17/01.
Q is for quiet. A soft version of The Clash classic Armagideon Time from September 1982.
R is for Road to Rock and Roll (acoustic version).
S is for The Specials. A Message To You (live, date unknown).
V is for Victory Lane. A foray into spoken word over music. I dunno about you, but I'm not a fan of Ghetto Defendant for the same reason I'm not a big fan of this rarity.
W is for Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed cover). Joe used to cover this tune a lot. He doesn't do better than Joe on it, but this version has a violin. So check it out.
W is also for Whiteman in Hammersmith Palace. It's my favorite song in the history of the world, I can't think of anything for Z, so this is what I'm putting up.
X is for X-Ray Style 11.16.99
Y is for Yalla Yalla.
Z is for ZIPFILE!
WE THE THEY-“The Shabby Road Sessions EP” (Free Album Download!)
Siluh Records offers an excellent EP for a great price (free), by retro native New Yorkers, We the They. Their calling it an EP, but at just three songs, it hardly lives up to the name “extended play.” Which is too bad, because I was really digging the Beach Boys/Doo Wop sound. The band does what (in my view) The Pipettes and The Kooks didn’t quite achieve: They make the retro sound modern and relevant. “Pastures” is pretty straightforward sunny bop, but “To The Mountains” is the priceless gem. Taking the surfbeat sound to a song about preferring
the rivers to the oceans, and living “like the Indians do,” it easily shuttles between pure fun and irony. The production, by Roger (Ben Kweller, Albert Hammond, Jr.) Greenawalt is top notch, and this is a record you want to hear. Trust me.
the rivers to the oceans, and living “like the Indians do,” it easily shuttles between pure fun and irony. The production, by Roger (Ben Kweller, Albert Hammond, Jr.) Greenawalt is top notch, and this is a record you want to hear. Trust me.
PICTURE OF THE DAY: News Articles Edition
Note: Reprinted from my old site
BONUS:
Actual letters submitted to the Sunday Times, courtesy of What Is Matt. This is hysterical.
Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested.
The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today.
My instructions from the management are to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.
Kathy, Relief Maid
Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service.
I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints, please contact me so I can give it my personal attention, Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.
Thank you.
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
Dear Mr. Berman,
Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8 AM and 5PM.
Thank you,
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
Dear Mr. Berman,
I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem.
I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room.
The situation will be rectified immediately.
Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. Kensedder, Assistant Manager.
Dear Mr. Berman,
You complained of too much soap in your room, so I had them removed.
Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing, so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily.
I don’t know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets.
Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps, so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays.
I don’t know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Imperial Leather.
However, I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory, which I left in your room.
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
BONUS:
Actual letters submitted to the Sunday Times, courtesy of What Is Matt. This is hysterical.
——
Dear Maid,
Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Imperial Leather. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish.
They are in my way.
Thank you,
S. Berman
Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested.
The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today.
My instructions from the management are to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.
Kathy, Relief Maid
Dear Maid.
I hope you are my regular maid.
Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap.
When I got back to my room this evening, found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet.
I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Imperial Leather, so I won’t need those 6 little Camays, which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc.
Please remove them.
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service.
I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints, please contact me so I can give it my personal attention, Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM.
Thank you.
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
Dear Miss Carmen,
It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don’t get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That’s the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty.
I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet, along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the Bathroom shelf.
In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap.
Why are you doing this to me?
S. Berman
Dear Mr. Berman,
Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8 AM and 5PM.
Thank you,
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
Dear Mr. Kensedder,
My bath-size Imperial Leather is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room, including my own bath-size Imperial Leather. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
S. Berman.
Dear Mr. Berman,
I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem.
I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room.
The situation will be rectified immediately.
Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. Kensedder, Assistant Manager.
Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room?
I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don’t want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Imperial Leather.
Do you realise I have 54 bars of soap in here?
All I want is my bath-size Imperial Leather.
Please give me back my bath-size Imperial Leather.
S. Berman.
Dear Mr. Berman,
You complained of too much soap in your room, so I had them removed.
Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing, so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily.
I don’t know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets.
Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps, so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays.
I don’t know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Imperial Leather.
However, I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory, which I left in your room.
Elaine Carmen, Housekeeper.
Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory.
As of today I possess:
On the shelf under the medicine cabinet, 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2. On the Kleenex dispenser, 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.
On the bedroom dresser, 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.
Inside the medicine cabinet, 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
In the shower soap dish, 6 Camay, very moist.
On the northeast corner of the tub, 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.
On the northwest corner of the tub, 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.
Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted.
Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip over.
May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries.
One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-size Imperial Leather which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.
S. Berman
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