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| Posted: 13 Jan 2009 04:35 PM CST Alfamega I Am Alfamega Auburn Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth Franz Nicolay Major General :: review Bryn Christopher My World Fires of Rome You Kingdom You Leopold and His Fiction Ain't No Surprise :: download "Ain't No Surprise" My Dear Disco Dancethink LP The Boxer Rebellion Union Coconut Records Davy East Hundred Passenger Timber Timbre Timber Timbre :: review Most Commented Posts This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Star-Studded Inauguration Concert Posted: 13 Jan 2009 01:15 PM CST Next week at President Elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration (finally!) concert,Hollywood will be present in full force. Dropping by the celebratory concert, broadcast next Sunday night by HBO—but available to anyone with a cable box include the following: Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder In addition to the musical numbers, there will be a few “historical passages” read by celebrity actors. Those celebrities are Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington. The gay Episcopalian Reverend V. Gene Robinson is slated to give the invocation. Not a bad party to kick off America 2.0. We know Barry’s using Abraham Lincoln’s Bible to be sworn in, and Malia and Sasha will either get a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound (”This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary,” Obama told George Stephanopoulos, host of ABC’s “This Week”), but still no word on what/who Michelle will be wearing. Related Posts |
| Caught In Motion - On The Edge Of A Dream Posted: 13 Jan 2009 11:25 AM CST Caught In Motion is a local Portland band that is new on the scene with their debut album On The Edge Of A Dream. It sounds like a private confession, as if lead singer Banah Graf came over to play in your living room, bringing with him a handful of songs he wanted to share with you. The stripped down music — comprised mostly of an acoustic guitar or piano with the occasional light snare — lends itself to the intimate heartfelt lyrics, which often return to the themes of death, loss, and regret. Graf’s voice sounds somewhere between Elliott Smith and Ben Folds, especially on his best song, “Blood Still Beats”. The songs shift back and forth from quiet to noisy, often over the course of a single song, like on “My Busy Mind” and “Why Can’t You Forget”. Others verge on what might be considered acoustic emo. Personally, I think the songs are strongest when they explore a melody. And some of the louder songs stretch the range of his voice. My main criticism of On The Edge Of A Dream, which others may also see as a strength, is that while the lyrics are highly personal and intimate, at times the music feels underdeveloped. The subtle jazzy accompaniment may work in the coffee shop, but not at a concert. Now that Caught In Motion have expanded to a quintet it will definitely be interesting to see what this Portland band sounds like live. Tour Dates: Caught In Motion: myspace Written by: Jesse Gelwicks Related Posts |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2009 10:15 AM CST How many other artists have as consistently a good pop catalog as Carl Newman? Choose a random song he wrote off any of the albums by Zumpano, the New Pornographers, or solo and it’s likely a great song. Compiling a single disc “best of” is going to be difficult — it might have to be a box set. Get Guilty is no exception. It’s another solid collection of pop gems. I’m not sure how Newman decides which albums should be New Pornographer songs and which he should do solo, but it seems that if he switched off lead and added a couple more group choruses he could hand most of these over to Neko Case and company with great results. And with female backing vocals sprinkled throughout Get Guilty, like on “Prophets” and “Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer”, the distinction is less apparent. On a couple songs, he does seem to incorporate a little more experimentation and discordant sounds, such as on “Submarines of Stockholm”. Ultimately, Newman is playing around with the sounds, textures, and hooks he’s been integrating into his songs since Zumpano. Certain choruses, drum beats, and keyboard riffs sound familiar, but the bits of sound are definitely incorporated in different ways. While the songs are undoubtedly new, it seems he could expand his palette just a little more. At the same time, as long as he keeps writing songs this good, I really can’t complain. “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”, “The Palace at 4 AM” and “The Changeling (Get Guilty)” will definitely see heavy rotation on my stereo. Get Guilty will be available on January 20th via Matador Records. A.C. Newman: website | myspace  Written by: Jesse Gelwicks Related Posts |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2009 09:23 AM CST
EIC Jessica will be hitting up the ultra intimate Barbary show in Philly, happy to hear Cursive through [arguably] the best sound system in the City of Brotherly Love. Tour Dates: Related Posts |
Tomorrow begins an intimate venue tour for Saddle Creek Records veterans Cursive, starting in Minneapolis and winding up in the band’s hometown of Omaha. Several of the dates are already sold out, so act now to get your tickets to see this incredible band perform live.| You are subscribed to email updates from popwreckoning To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner |
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