MOG - Kate S's Posts

Tunng

Kate S — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:21:32 GMT

Tunng are on tour, promoting their excellent new album, Good Arrows. Here's a track from it:

Spank Rock

Kate S — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:19:14 GMT

Have you heard Spank Rock yet? It's craaaaazy in a jammy way.

Judge declares Mistrial in Phil Spector case

Kate S — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:57:54 GMT

This just in from msnbc.com: "LOS ANGELES - Record producer Phil Spector's murder trial ended in a mistrial Wednesday because of a jury deadlock.

Each juror told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler they could not reach a verdict.

"At this time, I will find that the jury is unable to arrive at a verdict and declare a mistrial in this matter," the judge said.

he mistrial came on the 12th day of deliberations on whether Spector murdered actress Lana Clarkson more than 4 1/2 years ago. The nine-man, three-woman panel had heard about five months of testimony.

The foreman reported the panel was deadlocked 10-2 but did not indicate which way they were leaning.

The jury reported a 7-5 impasse last week and had resumed deliberations with modified instructions.

There was no discussion about whether there will be a retrial."

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20997237/

Flight of the Conchords

Kate S — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:46:10 GMT

Did you know that Flight of the Conchords have a new EP out? Here's a song from it:

Nothin' better than Sly...

Kate S — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:51:01 GMT

Sly and the Family Stone are back, and there's a Greatest Hits release out now:

Bettye LaVette and Drive By Truckers

Kate S — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:18:43 GMT

The following track is from an incredible new album by Bettye and the Drive By Truckers.

Totally Stereo!

Kate S — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:03:00 GMT

I adore Stereo Total. Here's a track off their new album.

Rubbing down the sun

Kate S — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:44:15 GMT

Here is a track from the upcoming Sunset Rubdown record "Random Spirit Lover"

Elliott Smith

Kate S — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:09:02 GMT

Here is a song from New Moon, an Elliott Smith compilation.

You Follow Me

Kate S — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:22:31 GMT

6.5 out of 10 MOGstars The singer/songwriter Nina Nastasia chose an unusual collaborator for her latest album- Jim White, the drummer for the Australian band, The Dirty Three. I say unusual because drummers are not the first choice for most songwriters looking for a musical partner. The album in question, You Follow Me, combines Nastasia's chilly folk songs with the dark intensity of White's drumming style. This is not the first time the two have performed together, White having been a vital part of Nastasia's backing band for previous records. This time around though, the songs are truly structured to showcase the drums, letting White experiment with his skills. On the song "Odd Said the Doe", the vocals and drums circle each other like teenagers at a school dance, teasing and tempting. Both musicians exhibit a kind of quiet restraint that reveals more exquisite patterns and intricacies with each listen. You Follow Me was recorded in only two days, presided over by producer Steve Albini. Completing a full album in such a short amount of time meant that every part was painstakingly rehearsed. This is not necessarily a good thing- as the songs could have benefited from a little more looseness. For example, in "Late Night", a track with film noir-esque lyrics, Nastasia takes us to the brink of a vocal breakdown but never gives us the full reward of intense emotion. That feeling of distance only increased with repeated listens- leaving me appreciating the musicianship but weary of the unapproachable nature of the songs. That said, there is something oddly comforting within the chilly nature of Nastasia's delivery- like seeing your favorite painting at the art museum but having to stand just a touch too far back to fully absorb it. Put You Follow Me on when you want to detach yourself from the everyday and enter a world of snowy landscapes and quiet corners. Listen to several songs here: http://www.myspace.com/ninanastasia

New Stars Song!

Kate S — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:04:21 GMT

Check out the new song from Stars upcoming album, out August 25th.

Breaking MOG News!!!!

Kate S — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:28:57 GMT

You can now upload MP3's to the MOG player up to 45 mb in size! No more squishing those songs down until they lose all sound quality! Now you can upload your podcasts and mixes to share with the MOG community.

New Kanye West video stars Bonnie Prince Billy and Zach Galifianakis

Kate S — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:40:07 GMT

Fellow mogger Wanbli hipped me to this AMAZING video from Kanye West starring the singer/songwriter Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and comedian Zach Galifianakis: http://www.kanyewest.com/?content=video_cant_tell_alt

Read Wanbli's post here: http://mog.com/Wanbli/blog_post/98460

Roots, Rock, Remixed: Bob Marley goes to the club.

Kate S — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:51:43 GMT

6/10 MOG Stars.

The first remix album to be fully sanctioned by the Marley family, Roots, Rock, Remixed is a collection of 12 classic songs given a new, club-friendly twist by some of the top producers of the moment. Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, gave his blessing as well, stating "Roots, Rock, Remixed retains the songs and the spirit of the original Wailers' recordings and creates a great dance party record."

Since his death in 1981, Bob Marley's music has been re-released and remixed countless times, if only to keep his music-hungry fans satiated. However, some of the most successful reimaginings occurred while Marley was still alive, courtesy Lee "Scratch" Perry, the maverick producer and musician. Perry's versions of Marley songs like "Soul Rebel" and "Mr. Brown" were created during the early days of dub and still can be seen as prime examples of the newly created style. In contrast, the songs on "Roots, Rock, Remixed" take advantage of modern studio mainstays like drum machines and Pro Tools. One of the biggest things reggae has in common with club music like drum and bass and techno is the deep bass sound you can feel in your heart, and in that respect, a few of these remixes have succeeded. I found the more loping, dubby tracks (like the Stuhr remix of "Don't Rock My Boat") to be the most appealing. The last four songs on the record struck me as cold, a shiny new sound that stripped away the wonderful muddy lows of the originals. The Jimpster remix of "400 Years" is the most egregious example of this, completely obscuring the song with a repeating drum loop recognizable to anyone who has set foot in a dance club or trendy hotel bar in the last 10 years. Staying true to the hip shaking intentions of the Wailers yields the strongest results, as in the organ riffs of the Bombay Dub Orchestra remix of "Lively Up Yourself" and the repeating vocals and reverse tape loop sounds of the Fort Knox Five remix of "Duppy Conqueror".

"Roots, Rock, Remixed" has about half an album worth of respectable remixes, and the rest, well, the rest are worth it if only to see that a room full of expensive digital studio equipment does not always equal music you can feel in your heart.

Listen to a few songs here: http://myspace.com/rootsrockremixed

Vote For MOG!

Kate S — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:55:21 GMT

Vote for MOG for the Under the Radar conference awards: http://utr.blogtronix.net/Music/

Post entire concerts on your MOG!

Kate S — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:23:37 GMT

I found a really cool new site where you can embed entire concerts into your MOG posts, http://fabchannel.com/. They have everything from Cold War Kids and Minus the Bear to Bebel Gilberto and John Cale: Check it out!

Melt your brain with Ween

Kate S — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:35:22 GMT

Dear Gene and Dean Ween,

Thank you for your recent release, The Friends EP. Without it, I might have been forced to admit that I have a soft spot for cheese. Musical cheese, that is, in the form of Ricky Martin, UB40 and the Pet Shop Boys. Luckily, you have taken all the worst aspects of pop music and Ween-i-fied them! I want you to know that this EP is horrible. It is so horrible that I can't stop listening to it. Couldn't you have eased the listener into your world with a nice quiet folk song as the opener? Did you really have to make a gay disco Eurovision contest entry the first song? Listening to "Friends", I am compelled to fling my body around and hug everyone in sight while wearing unflattering silver pants. The saving grace of "The Friends EP" are the lyrics, which are uniquely Ween in their comedic stupidity: "A friend's a friend who knows what being a friend is... talking with a friend. As friends we were always so close but so far away. Friends in life are special. Do you want me as your special friend?" Why yes, yes I do. From there, we head to "I Got To Put The Hammer Down", which is the weakest track of the five. The opening line held such promise: "I lost my cherry on a side street..." but alas, hope was lost with the needless electro sounds. Where the other songs succeed by overcoming their gimmickry "I Got To" is the underachiever in a class full of miscreants. Moving on to track three, "King Billy", imagine if Cheech Marin met Tom Waits and decided to record a reggae song. Complete with wanky gaseous keyboards and a terrible patois. Perfect for that tiki party you've been planning in your squat! The party continues with "Light Me Up", a latin-tinged, Livin' La Vida Loca-esque ode to drug dealing. The perfect soundtrack for selling E at the dance club we visited in the first track. Finally, we end up in London, circa 1983. The Smiths and A-Ha are on the jukebox, there are crowds of pompadoured boys are swaying to the music and I start the album over again because my brain has slowly leaked out of my ear.

Going to Bonnaroo?

Kate S — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:54:31 GMT

Going to Bonnaroo? MOG would love to hear from you! If you are planning on attending this year's Bonnaroo Fest, we would love to have you post daily reports. MOGmail Michael Goldberg (http://mog.com/michael_goldberg) with your MOG username and we will look out for your posts.

Beth Ditto Poses Nude for the Cover of NME!

Kate S — Thu, 31 May 2007 19:45:35 GMT

This is the most awesome thing i've seen in a long time. Girl Power Gossip Style!

The Ladybug Transistor

Kate S — Wed, 23 May 2007 18:16:37 GMT

Here is a track from the upcoming album by The Ladybug Transistor.

Jesse Malin and Bruce Springsteen!

Kate S — Mon, 21 May 2007 22:04:27 GMT

Here is the brand new video from Jesse Malin's album "Glitter in the Gutter". The video and song feature Bruce Springsteen.

QOTSA

Kate S — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:24:33 GMT

Here is the new Queens of the Stone Age single:

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Kate S — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:10:50 GMT

Here is a new song by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Way more rad than Maroon 5.

Maroon 5

Kate S — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:04:31 GMT

Here is a song from the new Maroon 5 album. yay.

God Save the Clientele

Kate S — Thu, 03 May 2007 21:29:01 GMT

My MOG rating: 7 out of 10 Stars The third album from the UK's The Clientele takes the listener on a sunny trip down the Thames, stopping at a few tiny record shops on the way to pick up some obscure Beach Boys 7"s and a few string-heavy Serge Gainsbourg albums. The previous Clientele records were like looking through a dusty window at a louche party of artists and beatniks. With "God Save the Clientele", the dust has been wiped away, and the party has brightened considerably. "These Days Nothing But Sunshine" serves as a lullaby for an afternoon picnic, while the swinging guitars of the opening track "Here Comes the Phantom" could easily be the soundtrack to a 70's Peter Sellers movie. The sun-drenched Byrdsian vibe isn't imagined- along for the ride are Americana stalwarts Pat Sansone from the Autumn Defense/Wilco, Tony Crow from Lambchop, and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez from Pipas.

The Clientele has always been influenced by the art and writings of the Surrealists. Their previous album, "Strange Geometry" seemed to draw more directly from the darkly absurd world of surreal art, melding storytime lyrics with string arrangements designed to sound like being lost in a forest of chiming redwoods. The band never fully loses its sense of melancholy and surreal whimsy on "God Save...", though, and this is most easily heard on tracks like "Isn't Life Strange" and whisper-filled "The Dance of the Hours".

While writing this, I read a few reviews complaining that Clientele records all sound the same. While I agree that The Clientele's sound doesn't differ much from album to album, it surely has been evolving into a cohesive signature style. Take a bit of pop psychedelia, a little Wicker Man-esque pastoral folk-with-edge and some opulent strings and you will have the recipe for a satisfying record. Read lead singer Alasdair Maclean's blog here. Go here to hear what The Clientele like to play in their tour bus.

Marilyn Manson is a vampire!

Kate S — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:08:11 GMT

Here is a song from the upcoming Marilyn Manson album:

New 50 Cent!

Kate S — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 23:23:08 GMT

Here is a new 50 Cent song. Check it out.

New Chris Cornell song

Kate S — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:40:11 GMT

Chris Cornell has a new album out. Check out this song!