Berkeley Place-A lil' bit of BK from VA One of the top rated indie music blogs on the internet. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 1989 0 8 10500

Articles from Berkeley Place-A lil' bit of BK from VA

BACKYARD TIRE FIRE-Free Live Download! 2007-10-02 18:04:30 We reviewed Backyard Tire Fire a while back, when their full-length came out, and now I’m happy to report that the band is offering, free of charge, their entire record performed live at The Double Door in Chicago. The sound quality couldn’t be better (digital soundboard recording), and you might find, as I did, that the album is even better live than in studio—they are akin to a young Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is a great recording—I hope you all dig it and comment on it here, so the band can see what you thought! ZIP BACKYARD TIRE FIRE TOUR DATES: October 5 / University of Illinois / Urbana, IL October 18 / Hangar 9 / Carbondale, IL October 19 / Friends & Co. / Charleston, IL October 20 / Paulies / Bloomington, IL October 31 / Mojo’s / Columbia, MO November 1 / Larimer Lounge / Denver, CO November 2 / Lazy Dog / Boulder, CO November 3 / Bottleneck / Lawrence, KS November 6 / People’s / Des Moines, IA (w/ Cracker, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit) November 7 / First ... Download

ROBYN HITCHCOCK’S LONELY HEART’S CLUB BAND 2007-10-02 03:22:32 Last week, it was The Rolling Stones (post 1, 2, 3). Now, it’s the Fab 4. Brilliant, eh? A Robyn benefit from July of this year. He did the full Sgt Pepper’s album, and then a few more Beatles (and Kinks) covers. Tune in later this week for more. Tastes some single cuts below, ZIP HERE. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band With a Little Help from My Friends Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Getting Better Fixing a Hole She’s Leaving Home Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! Within You Without You When I’m Sixty-Four Lovely Rita Good Morning Good Morning Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) A Day in the Life ...

COLIN McGRATH-“Window Seat” 2007-10-01 03:35:36 Generally, I’m into pop, rock and rap, but every so often I cotton to a kinder, gentler album that crosses my desk. Colin McGrath’s “Window Seat” is such a record, with folky ditties about a favorite childhood book, old friends, and a simpler time. It’s mostly just Colin telling nice stories, but he’s accompanied at times by Aaron Thurston (The French Kicks), Rob Moose (Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons), and many others. It’s not the kind of record you’d expect from a native New Yorker. Almost Perfect-Colin McGrath ...

I AM SO PSYCHED ABOUT THIS . . . 2007-09-30 17:19:56 . . . That I can’t wait for Savefile to get back up and running to post it. Really annoying–the service isn’t working and it’s not clear why. Tegan and Sara-Umbrella (Rhianna cover) (Sendspace link) ...

REAL ROCK AND ROLL: THE BLAKES-”S/t” and RED COLLAR-”Hands Up! (EP)” 2007-09-30 12:24:34 A twofer from my review queue. These albums happened, at random, to come up back-to-back, and they inspired me to rip up my T-Shirt and dance around playing air guitar (not a pretty sight), so I thought they deserve a post. Two really good rock albums, in a year that seems to favor rote hip hop and twee/light music. Maybe it’s a sign for us to return to our rock roots. THE BLAKES-Self Titled. First, The Blakes. Regular readers who actually come here for content may recall that I reviewed The Blakes’ self-titled EP last month, promising they’d release a full length in October. Well, they’re delivering. The good news is, most of the great songs from the EP (like “Magoo,” for instance) are on the album. The great new is, they actually have a full album’s worth of material. All meat, no filler, this is hot and hard rock and roll without any whining, politics, pretension or themes deeper than odes to a “perfect body” (”Mode ...

ETHAN LIPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA-Mr. Softy 2007-09-30 04:51:42 I’ve struggled with this disc. It defies classification, for one thing, bouncing easily from jazz, to lounge, to something approaching country. For another thing, it is laced with acid wit–lyrics that are funny, and often deep–shrouded by what sometimes sounds like novelty music. Like their tune, “Pirates of the Heart,” which sounds like Tom Waits minus the gravel, and “In My Car Again.” But then there’s the bluesy “Bossy Man,” which could be an old standard (until an odd break in the middle where “the band goes undercover”). This is some of the weirdest, but most fun, music I’ve heard in a while. So why did I struggle with it? Because it’s hard to embrace the offbeat at first. But I swear, give this a chance and you won’t regret it. Plus, Ethan Lipton’s from Brooklyn, so there you have it. Check it out. Pirates of the Heart Cat Don’t Know ...

HARD FI-Once Upon a Time in the West 2007-09-29 06:32:09 Here on this corner of the blogosphere, we have a general rule against reviewing RIAA material. But we’re making an exception for Hard Fi for selfish reasons. The Middlesex, England, band’s first album (which premiered on an independent label, Necessary Records) was one of my favorite albums of this Century. It got them signed to Atlantic Records, where they re-recorded the indie release but stayed true to the concept and sound of the lower-budgeted release. Their spirit and their music is modern punk (they are often compared to The Clash, who also were on a major label), and Stars of CCTV is nothing short of a masterpiece. The band’s first tour sold out and they’re doing well for themselves, so they don’t need help froma humble blogger like m’self, but on the other hand, we all need a few supergroups. And these guys deserve to be one, at least based on their first album. Which brings me to Once Upon a Time in the West. The title alone worried ...

I DON’T GET NO RESPECT AT ALL 2007-09-29 04:23:01 I should change the name of this blog to Rodney Dangerfield’s blog. I’ve been all-the-fuck-over Hype Machine for over a month now. Right this moment, I have three songs in the top 10. Yet, whenever the press talks about blogs, I get no respect. Whenever artists contact blogs to offer exclusives, I get no respect. Poor poor pitiful me. Will You Smile Again?-And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead ...

RICK ROSS - RISE TO POWER 2007-09-28 14:23:07 2007 has been a miserable year for hip hop. Kanye’s new one is good, but it’s not great, and no matter how many people call me names and get in my face, I just can’t get behind “Curtis” in any way. It’s boring and ordinary, and he’s done it before and much better. So far, only Blue Scholars and Brother Ali dropped anything approaching a classic. Maybe that’s why the “new” Rick Ross CD, “Rise to Power,” is getting a post: It’s not new. Suave House Records has packaged early Rick Ross, before he got a major label deal. This album is full of Rick’s crunky, raw, Miami street rhymes back in the days he worked with Tony Draper. Rick falls prey to the biggest problem in hip hop: Too many guests, with appearances Scarface, Clipse, Devin Tha Dude, Big Duke of Boyz N The Hood, and many others. Some of these guys do show him up (in particular Pusha T and Scarface), but he largely holds his own – young Rick had a hard and fresh voice, and it’s obvious why he ...

THE EIGHTIES YEARS: ROLLING STONES COVERS, PART THREE (THE LAST OF THE GOOD YEARS) 2007-09-28 03:40:23 Just a little bit left . . . “Black and Blue” (1976) A significantly underrated Stones album. Hey Negrita-Tupac vs. The Rolling Stones (mash up) Some Girls (1978) Miss You-The Concretes Let There Be Rock/Miss You/Let There Be Rock-Drive-By Truckers Before They Make Me Run-Patterson Hood Beast of Burden-Pearl Jam Beast of Burden-Alejandro Escoveda Shattered-Patterson Hood “Tattoo You” (1981) Waiting on a Friend-Pearl Jam Waiting on a Friend-Luna I’m sure there’s lots I missed–I didn’t even post every single one I own, just the highlights. If you know of some I missed, toss ‘em up in the comments! ...

JOSH RITTER-”The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter” & RAVENS AND CHIMES-“Reichenbach Falls” 2007-09-27 04:11:06 JOSH RITTER It’s been pointed out to me that I have yet to mention that Josh Ritter’s new album, “The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter,” is fantastic. Every song front-to-back is amazing. It’s the best thing on a major label this year, and, I daresay, it’s the most indie major label recording I’ve ever heard. It sounds indie without trying to sound indie. Death Cab For Cutie maintained their integrity after getting a contract, and Josh Ritter kept his. So, it is possible. You listening, Kaiser Chiefs and Killers? Sadly, because he’s on a major label, I won’t post any of his songs. But you can find them on hype machine–posted by bloggers far braver than I. Or go to his site for streams. Other than that, you’ll have to take my word for it: It’s awesome. Tour dates: October 2 - Portland, ME - Space Gallery October 3 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Night Club October 4 & 5 - Somerville, MA - Somerville ... Amp

RE-SUCKING IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES: ROLLING STONES COVERS PART 2 (1969-1974) 2007-09-26 03:37:06 . . . Continuing where we left off, with the 70s, including the greatest rock double album in history. “Let it Bleed” (1969) Featuring one of the greatest songs ever written, “Gimme Shelter.” Gimme Shelter-Back Forty Gimme Shelter-Local H Gimme Shelter-Phil Lesh and Friends Let It Bleed-Mumbouli You Can’t Always Get What You Want-The Radiators “Sticky Fingers” (1971) Brown Sugar-Ryan Adams Honky Tonk Women-Prince Tina Toledo/Can’t You Hear Me Knocking/Tina Toledo-Ryan Adams Sway-Alejandro Escovedo And of course the song that has been covered ad nauseam. Here’s just a few examples of what I thought were particularly good takes on it: Wild Horses-The Sundays Wild Horses-The Rolling Stones with Eddie Vedder Wild Horses-Guided By Voices Dead Flowers-Local H Dead Flowers-New Riders of the Purple Sage Moonlight Mile-The Drive-By Truckers “Exile on Main Street” (1972) Shake Your Hips-The 101ers (Joe Strummer pre-The Clash) Swe ...

BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH-“Street Gospels” 2007-09-25 04:31:44 Disappointed by the new Dead 60s album? Me too. So do what I did: Buy Bedouin Soundclash’s new release instead! Named after an album by Israeli fusion artist Badawi, this reggae/ska/punk band has a genuine Kingston pedigree. (Okay, it’s Kingston, Ontario, but whatever.) I’ve been a fan for several years now (since their “Root Fire” debut album), and I was most excited to get my hands on their newest group of songs. Although I can’t say “Street Gospels” reaches the fantastic level of their earlier two records, it’s got enough punky hypnotic riddim to please anyone who wishes summer wasn’t over yet. In particular, Nico On The Nighttrain and Hearts In The Night stand out. Street Gospels also treads new ground, though, focussing on spirituals–including an acappella version of the old traditional, “Hush (Somebody’s Calling My Name).” This is most successful on “Higher Ground,” but overall it gives the album a more serene feel t ...

OKAY, WHO LEAKED THIS? 2007-09-24 18:24:29 Looks like it really is Meg White . . . By request, I’m putting a not safe for work, minors, the easily offended, or Jack White warning on this. ...

HOT LICKS AND SLOPPY SECONDS: ROLLING STONES COVERS, PART ONE (1964-1969) 2007-09-24 04:04:07 I’ve always been more of a Stones guy–more of a Richards than a Lennon, more of a Jagger than a McCartney. I like the Beatles and all, but to me rock and roll will always be The Rolling Stones. I know that after about 1985, the band kind of went to shit (although I do like much of Steel Wheels), but before that how many bands could release a solid album–and many classic albums–nearly every year for almost a decade? Not many. And none did it while snorting Columbia up their nose, dating supermodels, and having their penises bitten by bees to increase girth. I’ve been trying to think of what to do with all the Stones covers I’ve amassed over the years, so I decided to do a massive tribute: Covers of my favorite tunes from most of their pre-1982 U.S. releases. Now, before 1967 most of their U.S. albums were compilations and repackages and most of their tunes were covers of other guys work, so I’ve only included a few of those. But other tha ...