Articles from Berkeley Place-A lil' bit of BK from VA |
Yes!
2007-11-03 10:17:40
Slave it!-Britney Spears versus Yes!
Long Distance Run Around (Yes cover)-The Red House Painters
Owner of a Lonely Heart-One Minute Remix-Yes. The best part of the best Yes song.
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SCOTT COOK-”Long Way to Wander”
2007-11-03 10:12:26
From the mailbag, I wanna point some of you to Scott Cook, a country-roots artist. Lots of my readers won’t cotton to this easy—it’s simple backporch music that isn’t typically featured here. Some of you will find it corny, or old fashioned, or somesuch. But I’m betting there’s a few of you who will appreciate it.
Formerly the frontman for “The Anglers,” a Canadian/South African roots/reggae band, Scott Cook was born in raised in West Virginia and spent much of his early life traveling the world (or at least Canada and Taiwan). His experiences add a wordly flavor to his down-home songs, which may explain why I found them to be more interesting than the typical one-guitar-one-voice record.
Give it a try!
Fish Jumpin’
My Grandma
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OH DARLING-Self Titled EP
2007-11-02 03:45:34
Portland’s Oh Darling is offering their new EP as a free download. It’s very sweet pop, shoegazer-meets-The Breeders kinda thing: A power trio recorded and produced by Gregg (The Dandy Warhols, Blitzen Trapper) Williams. And fine production is all over it—unlike most EPs, which are self-produced and
usually need a bit more work behind the boards, this is a polished, fine debut.
I definitely recommend you give it a listen to it. In particular, check out Electrocute. You can get the EP at their myspace page, or through sonic bids.
Check it out!
Electrocute
Hey.Stay.Wait.Explode!
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THE SOMNAMBULANTS
2007-11-01 18:16:11
I don’t know anything about this band, but this track is fucking awesome.
Here’s what the press release says:
“Radio Pop Music” (MP3) is an unreleased cut recorded for The Somnambulants album Paper Trail. The song features a melody comprised of samples of Michael Jackson singing the bass line from “Billie Jean.” These samples were lifted from the now infamous “Living With Michael Jackson” documentary by journalist Martin Bashir, originally broadcast by the BBC. In the film, during one of many interviews with Bashir, the journalist asks Jackson about his songwriting process, and while explaining the genesis of the song “Billie Jean,” Jackson busts out the groove a cappella style. Check it out in its raw form at You Tube — about five minutes in — and then give a listen to The Somnambulants handy work!
Tell me the song isn’t the shit.
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3 LIVE BY ARCADE FIRE
2007-11-01 04:30:40
Distortions (Clinic cover)
I’m Sleeping in a Submarine
Still Ill (Smiths cover)
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WEST INDIAN GIRL-”4th and Wall”
2007-11-01 02:57:55
West Indian Girl arrive with the same kind of alt-shoegazer synthpop found in Saturna and Oasis . . . Arty pop with trebley vocals and flourished with crashing percussion and wave after wave of keyboard riffs. It’s no shock the band is named after a particular brand of LSD.
“To Die in L.A.” is the current single, and it’s definitely catchy. It’s easy to imagine lolling about on the beach, drinking tequila, and enjoying the up-and-down sound. “Sofia” is another stand out track, as is “Up the Coast.” On all the tracks, the vocals sound vaguely like Perry Farrell, but the music is as far from punk as possible. It’s precise, clean, and calculated.
Whipped creamy indie pop. Check it out.
To Die in L.A.
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!: My 20 All Time Favorite Scary Movies
2007-10-31 04:00:54
Rather than post “Monster Mash” or “Werewolves of London,” which everyone will post, I’m picking some of my favorite, lesser known holiday tunes, and listing my 20 favorite scary movies. Every movies gets either a picture or a song. Nobody gets apples or pennies.
Drop a comment and tell me what I left off the list!
1. Night of the Living Dead (The original. Saw it for the first time in Maine when I was 6. Scared me for two weeks.)
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The original.)
Saw saw saw saw. Ouch.-Drunk Country. I loves me the DC. Such great music. Why haven’t they been signed yet? Wake up music people! What the fuck is wrong with you? You all zombies?
3. Halloween. (The original.)
Every Day Is Halloween-The Postmarks (Ministry cover)
4. Nightmare on Elm Street.
5. The Exorcist
6. Dawn of the Dead (the original). I know it’s not scary, but it’s a fantastic film on so many levels. Not the least of which is this gr ...
Movies
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OLD TIME RELIJUN-Catharsis In Crisis
2007-10-30 04:38:05
I daresay that Old Time Relijun’s, “Catharsis In Crisis” is the most unique record I’ve heard this year. It’s not quite angry, and it’s definitely not mean, but it’s as intense and voracious as Tom Waits and as musically inventive as The Tom Tom Club.
Hailing from Olympia, Washington, the center of Old Time Relijun is Arrington de Dionyso, the singer and main writer of these ragtag tunes. Together with Aaron Hartman (bass) and a passel of drummers worthy of Spinal Tap discussion, the band has created a jazzypunk sound unlike any other.
The content is obscure to say the least, unintelligible at times. I can’t understand what “Daemon Meeting” is about, but I think it’s funny. And then some of it is not even in English, like “Veleno Mortale,” which sounds like its whispered and screamed by David Byrne with laryngitis. Undeniable, unignorable, this is a fascinating album with heart, D.I.Y. spirit, and lots of clatter. I highly recommend it.
Indestructible Li ...
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THE DAY PEARL JAM MET ROBERT PLANT
2007-10-29 18:51:57
Pearl Jam and Robert Plant share a stage and make beautiful music together.
Goin’ To California-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
Little Sister-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
Money (That’s What I Want)-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
Fool in the Rain-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
Thank You-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
Rocking in the Free World-Pearl Jam with Robert Plant
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RAINE MAIDA-The Hunter’s Lullaby
2007-10-29 04:02:31
The lead singer of Our Lady Peace has gone indie! Canada’s Raine Maida is releasing a solo album on
Kingnoise Records, and he’s abandoned the falsetto affect you might be familiar with (well, not abandoned—he still falls into it occasionally, especially when he’s harmonizing with himself on overdubs), and traded it for an honest, rock and roll voice.
“Hunter’s Lullaby,” like most indie rock coming out these days, is a little dark, a little creepy, but there’s traces of the pop chops he showed when he helped write Kelly Clarkson’s, “Walk Away.” “The Less I Know,” for example, has an Alice In Chains lite
feel, and it would be easy to imagine that in a teen girl’s hands, with a big band a crashing flourish, it would be a monster hit. (I could do without the rap break, though—whoever Jared Paul is, he should hang it up.) “The Snake and the Crown” has a Buck 65 feel—it’s edgier than Everlast, but its white blues rap all the same. I’m ...
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Y SOCIETY - Travel At Your Own Pace
2007-10-28 10:05:03
Preliminary notes:
This is a hip hop post, but don’t forget our Annuals giveaway–check the swag corner of this page.
Also, rapper Saul Williams is pulling a Radiohead–you can download his album for free or pay $5, whatever you prefer. Awesome. Go here to order. I wasn’t a huge fan of his last album, but now I really want to like him so I’ll give the new one a chance. Plus, it’s produced by Trent Reznor. Mos def worth a checkout.
And now the main event:
I’m hesitant to recommend any hip hop album with a guy who goes by a name with the word “fudge” in it, but here we go anyway. Insight and Damu the Fudgemunk are Y Society, whose debut album, Travel At Your Own Pace, has now officially dropped on Tres Records.
It’s full of samples, riffs and rhymes borrowed from classic material to create a conscious, joyful collage or hip hop culture. Both Damu and Insight have bios
that include successes as DJs, and it shows in this remarkable record. ...
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ANNUALS/MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA GIVE AWAY!
2007-10-27 13:28:12
We love Annuals here at Berkeley Place, and we’re happy to announce a show, tomorrow night (10/28) at D.C.’s Rock and Roll Hotel, where they’ll be co-headlining with Manchester Orchestra. They’re covering each others works, and they’ve put together an exclusive, limited edition 7-incher. On it, Annuals cover Manchester Orchestra’s Where Have You Been, and Manchester Orchestra cover Annuals’ Brother.
Annuals covering Where Have You Been
Manchester Orchestra covering Brother
(Here’s the original: Brother-Annuals)
Want a copy? Well, there’s two ways to get it:
1. Go to the Rock and Roll Hotel show, Sunday night, and get it from the guys.
2. Win it. Here. By e-mailing me or dropping a comment, WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS. A winner will be chosen at random some time next week, so check your e-mail regularly.
Good luck!
Bonus music:
Dry Clothes-Annuals
Bleary Eyed-Annuals
Manchester Orchestra - Wolves at Night (live on WBRU)
Manch ...
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BETTYE LAVETTE - The Scene Of The Crime
2007-10-27 13:01:52
“It’s too short,” said the person who gave me this CD, to which I responded in my usual knowitall kinda way that I like short albums because it means the work is not bloated with extras and mystery tracks and all kinds of nonsense that I’ll just end up skipping anyway. But this time, after I listened, I agreed.
Bettye LaVette’s The Scene of the Crime is a collection of one original work (the autobiographical “Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)”) and nine Southern soul reinterpretations of classics you might never have heard before, from a diverse and skilled roster of established pop stars, blues grinders, and singer-songwriters. The album’s title derives from the fact that Ms. LaVette, now over 61 years young, has returned to Muscle Shoals, where she cut her amazing debut recording way back in 1972. The difference is that back then the label gave her a studio band and selected her songs, whereas now Bettye, backed by no less than the D ...
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