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: 253 0 75 10776

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

10 REASONS NO SEXY BANANA, NO CRY, NO LET ME DOWN 2007-08-13 04:10:18 1. Not content to leave it all to us amateurs, the avant garde, offbeat, and sometimess brilliant Baby Teeth want you to know about their new Baby Teeth blog! Check out “Is This Love” (not a Bob Marley cover), among the other songs they are posting there. (One new song per week!) 2. I said before I’m not liking the new M.I.A. album as much as her first–there are a few solid cuts on it, but much of it leaves me cold. Still, I dig this mash up. Courtesy of The Hood Internet. M.I.A. vs. Ocelot 3. No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley)-Afghan Whigs cover 4. New Chuck Prophet! If you’ve never heard him (or never heard of him) it’s time! A great singer/songwriter. Freckles-Chuck Prophet. Here he is with Papa Mali on the soul classic, “People Get Ready.” And if that isn’t proof enough that he’s a cool muthafucka, he’s played live with Ryan Adams, the deacon of cool. Or, at least he was yesterday. 5. 6. Passion of the Wei ...

A GASSY POST 2007-08-12 14:02:30 Don’t Go To BP and Amoco-Pearl Jam (with spoken intro). ...

THE BLAKES-Self Titled EP 2007-08-12 08:30:40 Take a pinch of punk, crack a few Strokes, flavor heavily with garage and mix it all with a ton of The Sweet, and you’ve got The Blakes, who just released an EP on the great Light In The Attic records. Formed by two brothers with weird names, Garnet and Snow Keim, and drummer Bob Husak, make tight, fun club music. Every tune on the EP is great party music, in the spirit of Johnny Lives!, The Black Keys, and other great retro bar-bands. The kick off track, Magoo, which I sense must be awesome live, has a baby-talk chorus in which he mumbles some scat (“gamma gamma gamma lamma Magoo, I gotta getcha to moo”) and then snarls sexual threats (another version of the chorus is “gamma gamma gamma lamma Magoo, the only girl in the world do watcha wanna do”). I’m not really sure if the Keim brothers have a bovine fetish or what, but this song is a hot rocker on a par with similar Ramones tunes. Another stand-out track, Village Green, recalls Oasis and the psychedelic 60s (while t ...

OFFICE-“A Night At The Ritz” 2007-08-11 08:16:13 Office seem to fall somewhere between The Cure, U2, and The B52s, which puts them in a league with The Editors and The Killers. Good company to keep. Especially since they’re a lot more like the latter: Solid arena rock with an emphasis on fun. And speaking of company, album track “Company Calls” is a solid single, featuring anthemic soaring guitars and grand keyboard swells, a nice hook, and big, rock-and-roll-hootchie-coo vocals. The rest of “A Night At The Ritz” is equally infectious. “Q&A” is a fun, bouncy ditty that makes you want to smile and whistle at the same time. On the whole, lead singer/writer Scott Masson tends towards staccato guitar and vocal lines that alternates between singing and speaking (but never rapping) and use slight effect, much like many of the new wavers the band is clearly influenced by. But unlike the ‘80s styles, Mr. Masson uses different effects on each song so you get a little Flock of Seagulls here, a littl ...

SHIM SHAM 2003! 2007-08-10 16:33:51 We covered 2000. We covered 2001. And we covered 2002. Now, thanks to a great reader from across the pond, we’ve got the 2003 show to share with y’all! And it’s great quality, to boot(leg)! I don’t know the original artists of all the covers yet (just got this, haven’t had time to do research yet). If you know, drop me a comment please. Night Moves (Bob Seger cover). Fucking kick ass version. Borderline (Madonna). Better than the original! Catapult. Friday I’m In Love (The Cure). Goodnight, Elizabeth. New Frontier. Give You Up. Ghost. Barely Out of Tuesday. Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead). Goodnight, L.A. A Long December. Here Comes Your Man. Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain (Steve Earle). Pale Blue Eyes. These Days. Fearless Heart. Good Time. Crazy for You (Madonna). Amie (Pure Prarie League) Rain King O, Susannah! Blues Run the Game Girl From the North Country (Bob Dylan) Sullivan Street. New ZIP File Link. ...

AKIR-”Legacy” 2007-08-10 04:08:31 They say that the truth hurts, and that’s clear on Legacy, the second album from underground M.C. Akir. The album is a crisp and sharp, hardcore release with deft production by the great Immortal Technique and guest shots by Technique, Poison Pen, Jean Grae, Veks One, and Mojo. It’s as political as Paris or Griff, as hard and street as Erick Sermon, and the beats are as musical as any mainstream label release. Slow tracks like Louisiana Purchase, about Hurricaine Katrina, show a level of depth and awareness sadly lacking in most modern gangsta releases (remember when NWA incited riots in the clubs but at the same time asked questions that needed to be asked?) Then bangers like the title track get your butt moving without sacrificing content or Akir’s integrity as a man with a true mission. Akir was recently picked Source Magazine’s Unsigned Hype for January/February 2005, and XXL’s Chairman’s Choice (October 2005). Any real hip hop fan should check him out ...

THE ARCTIC MONKEYS-June 2007 2007-08-09 04:01:46 As the year goes on, I dig Favourite Worst Nightmare more and more. It may end up being my pick for the best record of the year. And their concerts are fantastic, too. Even better then their studio stuff, really. Take this show, for instance, from June 16th of this year. Set list: The View from the Afternoon Still Take You Home From the Ritz to the Rubble Teddy Picker Favourite Worst Nightmare Fake Tales Of San Francisco Balaclava You Probably Couldn’t See for The Lights but You Were Staring Right at Me I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor Flourescent Adolescent Mardy Bum When The Sun Goes Down Leave Before the Lights Go On 505 A Certain Romance Zip File. ...

STARS-“ In Our Bedroom After the War” 2007-08-08 03:47:36 The beginning is a little cliché (a beating heart), but thankfully it doesn’t go on long before the music is served. Stars, once again, delivers atmospheric, soaring electronica of slow- to medium-tempo, generally alternating between anthems and ballads. As usual, the best songs are sung by Amy Millan and not Torquil Campbell. For the most part, it’s a solid release, albeit unsurprising with a few exceptions. “Bitches in Tokyo,” from the title to the punky beat and the retro guitar riffs, could easily be a Blondie cover but for the fact that Millan shows greater vocal range on the smooth scale—but she is less likely than Debbie Harry to really belt one out. And that’s the real problem I’ve always had with Stars—they never seem to stretch, to push themselves beyond their comfort zone of shoegazer. Nevertheless, “Bitches” alone is worth the price of the album, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s a lot more good stuff here. “The Night Starts Here, ...

10 REASONS MY BLOG LIKES OTHER BLOGS 2007-08-07 18:39:31 1. Captains Dead offers a great Husker Du concert from 1984, which includes their great tunes “8 Miles High” and “What’s Going On?” 2. Grammar humor. Gotta love, it. 3. An oldie but a goodie. Phantom Broadcast-The Go! Team. Get the entire Help! benefit album from emusic. 4. Smidgen of Ashen Fluff has a recent M.I.A. in-studio set, doing stuff from Kala. I must say, what I’ve heard from that album doesn’t knock me out at all. I liked Arular, but not a lot. This one doesn’t even appear to have a catchy single, like her first one did. 5. So Much Silence is a great blog that has been doing a series called, “I Used to Love H.E.R.” in which artists and bloggers write about their favorite hip hop album. Such a great idea. You should go check out Passion of the Weiss’ entry about GZA’s Liquid Swords, a true classic. If I were asked (which I’m sure I won’t be), I can’t imagine what album I&rs ...

A SHOW NOTE ABOUT THE CLASH COVERS POST 2007-08-07 03:51:21 Lots of folks are coming here for our recent Clash covers post. This is just to remind you that that post is the second of two. You can find the first post of Clash covers here. Many of the links are still good. ...

ALEX DUPREE AND THE TRAPDOOR BAND-Las Meridanzas 2007-08-07 03:41:10 I dunno if it’s the name of the band or the sound, but Alex Dupree and The Trapdoor Band kind of remind me of Ray’s Vast Basement. They’ve both got an organic, lo-fi, made-in-my-living-room-on-an-eight-track kind of sound. Of the two bands, I’d have to say I favor Mr. Dupree for his versatility. His new album, Las Meridanzas, has much to recommend it. Chamber pop, folk, acoustic rock, and thick singer-songwriter vibes. I found the album on the whole to be a little uneven–I skipped more than a few tracks on the second run through–but those tracks that I did enjoy were quite good. And I admit that this isn’t really my cup of tea as a genre. Lyrically, his music sometimes goes a little too much to the Mountain Goats folk side for me. Still, other songs come off quite well. Fans of indie folk and singer-songwriter albums should definitely give him a listen, and support the band by going to their website and buying a copy. We need to enco ...

PICTURE OF THE DAY (with a soundtrack!) 2007-08-06 18:49:09 Mercy (edit)-Sleeping States “One Man”-The Eulogies ...

THE CLASH A to Z PART 2 (Or: 25 More Clashtastic Songs!) 2007-08-06 03:56:30 Every Friday night it’s the same thing. It’s one in the morning, I’m slightly lit and feeling randy. I ask my wife if she’ll have a go and she complains, “You have such a one track mind! I don’t wanna listen to London Calling yet again!” She says I love The Clash too much. But you can’t love The Clash too much. Can you? The Clash A to Z part 2: Clash covers, Clash covering, Clash mashed, and a few Strummer tributes. This time, no Zip file. Sorry. Forgot to compile it as I went along and now I’m just too damn lazy. I’ll return all your money if you’re dissatisfied. A is for Artgel. Rudie Can’t Fail-ArtGel (live) B is for Blitzkreig Bop (Ramones cover)-Joe Strummer (live). C is for Clampdown-Hot Water Music D is for Death or Glory-Jesse Malin E is for Escapades of Futura 2000 [Original 12″ Version]-Celluloid and The Clash. A too-rare-to-believe example of a hip hop song sampling The Clash. With all t ...

THE PARKAS/TWO HOURS TRAFFIC GIVEAWAY! 2007-08-03 07:09:02 Remember my recent review of Two Hours Traffic? Heroes of the Sidewalk Whenever We Finish What about my review of The Parkas? Change of Heart Raggedy Ann Well, the label was so grateful that they want to give you those records! One lucky reader will get both Two Hours Traffic and Parkas, on CD. To win, drop me a comment or send me an e-mail with your e-mail address and the name of a recent indie recording (any genre) that I haven’t reviewed but need to be aware of! Winner will be picked on August 9th. And ’cause the label was generous, I’m being generous. Here’s a few tunes for y’all: What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, And Understanding? (Elvis Costello/Nick Lowe)-Wilco Aggro’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs vs. Kelly Clarkson mash up. If It Works-Tokyo Police Club (live 11/2/06) All Falls Down-Kanye West and Lauryn Hill (original version) ...

SLEEPING STATES-There The Open Spaces 2007-08-02 03:29:35 Sleeping States, the brainchild of Markland Starkie (from across the pond), doesn’t make the kind of music you want to listen to on a car ride. It’s winding and gentle; hypnotic. Listening to “Life vs. Love,” for example, literally makes me feel like my head and shoulders are rocking back and forth, slowly and smooth. If I had this on the radio while I drove from SF to LA I’m sure I’d drive off the road and into the ocean. I also don’t think I’d care. The lo-fi harmony and complex finger-style guitar work completely enrapts me. Perfect music to listen to with the lights out and the headphones on. I didn’t like it at first, in fact, because I usually don’t hear stuff like this. Also, I usually review my music in the car or while I’m out walking. It wasn’t until the ten-minute-long (and nearly perfect) “Memory Games” came on at night, when my shuffle was on random, that I heard through the music a ...