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Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 2 #2
One a month, from March to December 2011…
Derek Webb’s Democracy Vol 2… This month, it is “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. I’m at work; so I haven’t had a chance to listen yet… but I’m looking forward to it!
For those not in the know, Democracy Vol 2 is a continuation of the covers project Derek started last year. The fans get to nominate songs and then vote once the nominations are tallied. Here’s what he’s done in 2010 and 2011 to date (you can still go back and buy this volume):
- January 2010: The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- February: Coldplay – Fix You
- March: Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
- April: Gnarls Barkley – Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
- May: Sufjan Stevens – Chicago *a personal fave*
- June: U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name
- July: Huey Lewis & the News – Power of Love
- August: The Beatles – Eleanor Rigby *a personal fave*
- September: Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence
- October: Radiohead – Karma Police *a personal fave*
- November: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
- December: Robert Robinson – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
- January 2011: off
- February: off
- March: Cee-Lo Green – F**k You
Fans of Derek may also want to check out his contribution (amongst other great covers) of Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans. The tribute album put out by On Joyful Wings is called Seven Swans Reimagined. Derek does “In Devil’s Territory.” Other musicians include some Asthmatic Kitty favorites, and some newbies to the fold – including the Gregory Brothers (autotune the news) and Inlets.
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – Deadwing 
Democracy Vol. 2 is a series of subscription based albums of cover songs that Derek will be recording annually, starting January 2010. Those who participate will not only receive the exclusive album, but will democratically decide what songs Derek will record.
Ever wished you could hear Derek cover your favorite Beatles song? Or Backstreet Boys song? Or even re-record your favorite old Caedmon’s Call song? Here’s your chance. Songs will be nominated and voted down to 10. Derek will record them (demo quality) and deliver them digitally (320kbps MP3s), one song per month for 10 months (March to December). Don’t miss your chance to be part of this unique collaborative project with Derek Webb!
Groupees teaming up with Celldweller (72 hour sale for Alabama Tornado Relief)
Groupees, an “innovative new flash sale platform featuring digital media content from exciting independent artists,” announced yesterday that it will be launching its next promotion featuring Detroit’s electronic rock mastermind Celldweller…
Known worldwide for pioneering new sounds and methods for creating his tracks, Klayton (Celldweller) continues to generate music that resonates and relates to both fans and the entertainment industry worldwide.
The Celldweller 4-EP Bundle Groupee is slated to start Wednesday, May 4th at 9:00 am PST at http://bit.ly/celldwellr.
20% of all proceeds from the sale go directly to Red Cross to support US/Alabama Tornado Relief.
The campaign will run for 72 hours and is priced using Pay What You Want which allows fans to name their price with a minimum of $3 (products retail five times that). The Bundle packages together 4 EP’s, one of which has 4 never before released tracks:
- Wish Upon A Blackstar Chapter 03 of 05 is the latest installment of the Celldweller sophomore album, featuring the tracks “The Lucky One” & “Tainted”
- Cellout EP 01 featuring re-imagined versions of Celldweller songs as heard in the Celldweller live show. This EP debuted in iTunes as the #1 Electronic Album in 5 Countries, including the US as well as top #10 Electronic album in 12 countries.
- Soundtrack For The Voices In My Head Vol. 02 (Chapter 01) featuring instrumental tracks used in Film/Tv/Video Games
- Exclusive EP will feature a brand new, unreleased track from Soundtrack For The Voices In My Head Vol. 02 (Chapter 02), 3 unreleased Remixes as well as a rare/limited release of Klayton’s remix of the track “Shapeshifter.”
The Celldweller 4-EP Bundle also includes a special bonus collection if the promotion’s goal of $10,000 raised is met:
All participants will receive an unreleased ‘Beta Cessions’ B-Side Demo along with the unreleased Remix of the track “The Lucky One”. At the close of the campaign, the #1 top donor will receive an additional bonus Unreleased Demo that will be exclusively theirs until we officially release the track at a later date.
Who is Groupees? Groupees, from Portland, Oregon, is a social media technology company. Their parent company, YAWMA, also operates a digital store and app for discovery and sharing of indie music and games through Facebook.
From Wednesday, May 4th, through Saturday, May 7th (9am PST/noon EST), dig in at:
~Dan – np: Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
The Arcade Fire – The Wilderness Downtown
OK, I’m late to the dance on this one… it’s old…
The Arcade Fire’s latest 2010 video is an interactive interpretation of their song “We Used To Wait“… you put in where you grew up, and it brings in your old neighborhood into the video mix. Behold, “The Wilderness Downtown“…
http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
Creepy technology using Google Maps API, HTML5, and scripts… read more about the tech here.
~Dan – np: Garage A Trois – Emphasizer
Shara Worden on Prefuse73’s new album
I should change the name of this blog to something to do with Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond). 
She took some time off to have a baby, but now it seems like she’s popping up all over the indie-rock landscape.
This time, she lends her golden voice to the Prefuse 73 track “The Only Hand To Hold” from their just released album, The Only She Chapters. The song is available now as a FREE mp3 download over on their website.
The album (mp3/wav/flac/CD/LP) is available to purchase at BLEEP.
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
Death Metal vocalist warming up in the studio
’nuff said…
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – In Absentia
Incubus “Adolescents” video
Incubus’ new one isn’t “thinking outside the envelope” or “pushing the box,” as it were… but it’s a good song… check the video for “Adolescents” here:
The vibe to “Adolescent” is (to me) similar to Morning View. I’m digging the slowed down video part (3:30-ish).
The new album – If Not Now, When? – comes out July 12th. You can pre-order it now.
~Dan – np: Garage A Trois – Outre Mer
New Music April…
Sorry for not having much new to post as of late. I did recently get the following CDs… all of them great in their own right, and all of them worth checking out! Click on the album covers for mp3 sound samples.
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
melodic hard power rock
Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
moving post-rock, brilliant packaging
Shara Worden & Co – Letters to Distant Cities
short & sweet indie rock, spoken word
~Dan – np: Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Murat Eyuboglu & Shara Worden – Letters to Distant Cities
New Amsterdam Records welcomes singer-songwriters Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) and Clare Muldaur Manchon (of Clare & the Reasons), along with indie-classical multi-instrumentalist/composer Rob Moose (of yMusic), collaborators in the enchanted and melancholy Letters to Distant Cities, a multi-media project curated and produced by photographer and videographer Murat Eyuboglu, exploring urban solitude through the poetry of Turkish-American poet, Mustafa Ziyalan.
Letters to Distant Cities, released Tuesday, March 29, is a spoken-word album bookended by two original songs: My Brightest Diamond’s “The Sea” and Clare & the Reasons’ “Invisible.” The Sea opens the album and cracks the door to a mythical realm, into which Shara Worden enters and embodies the female persona of Ziyalan’s poetry, speaking the texts of 24 poetic snapshots, connected by Rob Moose’s incidental reflections and interventions for violin. After the poetry, Invisible closes the album, drifting wistfully to its bittersweet conclusion.
- The Sea
(composed & performed by: Shara Worden) - Sugar Cube in the Rain
(#2-18 performed by: Rob Moose, Shara Worden) - The Most Unknown Fruit
- The Starfish, The Sleeper
- Gone
- Letters to Distant Cities
- Midsummer’s Winter
- Dimming Eyes
- The Red Balloon
- Close Your Eyes
- The Cloud-Likeness
- Ripples
- Ghostly Flowers
- Truant Colts
- In the City’s Caverns
- Bliss
- Her Poems
- In the Land of Sleep
- Invisible
(composed & performed by: Clare & the Reasons)
Go to New Amsterdam’s album page for sound samples! Also, check out the arty/mournful-turned-magical video for “The Sea” featuring My Brightest Diamond / Shara Worden:
Says fellow poet Murat Nemet-Nejat:
In Ziyalan’s work one can see the impulse of the Turkish language in the 20th Century to represent a social reality beyond national borders. It points to the prophetic nature of Turkish poetry becoming a medium for a global sensibility — the psychic dislocations globalism creates in consciousness.
In addition to the CD, the album package includes a set of 24 pristine keepsake cards, comprising a photographic illustration for each of Zilayan’s poems collected on the recording. The images were captured by project visionary Murat Eyuboglu with model Jamie Ansley. Designer Adam Frint brings musical, poetic, and photographic elements together, creating a physical connection to the album’s sense of memorabilia.
I just ordered it from Amazon… you can also order it directly from New Amsterdam Records. If a CD isn’t your thing, New Amsterdam has the full mp3 album for only $6 (a couple bucks cheaper than Amazon’s price – and directly from the source).
~Dan – np: Porcupine Tree – Metanoia
Radiohead – The Butcher / Supercollider (leaked)
Radiohead’s UK Record Store Day release of “The Butcher / Supercollider” got leaked… find the (vinyl rip) Soundcloud streams here. If you’re crafty, you know how to download the mp3s. The vinyl comes out in the U.S. in June. I shall buy it then…
Update 4/18: If you pre-ordered the “Newspaper edition” of The King of Limbs from Radiohead, check your “Order Tracking” link on the kingoflimbs webpage. Your high-quality, legal download of the songs is available (mp3 or WAV, depending on what format you originally ordered).
~Dan – np: Radiohead – The King of Limbs
File Sharing Policy: There are no free mp3 download or FLAC torrents for any albums on this blog (nor will there ever be). On occasion, there are links for songs for free download (legally provided by the artist). If you like music, support the artists. Buy it!!
‘Speak With Ghosts’ by Anakronic Electro Orkestra (now out on CD)
One of the late releases digitally in 2010… the fantastic Anakronic Electro Orkestra now has their full-length Speak With Ghosts out on CD. It comes with three extra connecting snippets (“ghosts”) and is going to make it on my Best of CDs in 2011. Sure, it made it on the list in 2010, but it’s sooooo good, I’ll break / make my own rules. :)
Do you like jazzy rock-fusion klezmer (great for fans of Beats Antique & Balkan Beat Box)? Of course, you do! Find out more about Anakronic Electro Orkestra with the links below…
- Check out AEO’s webpage.
- Friend AEO on Facebook.
- Follow AEO on Twitter.
- Buy the CD from their Facebook Store.
(Free shipping from France >>> Worldwide) - Buy the digital album from Amazon or iTunes (US).
Read what I wrote last December below… or just take my word for it, and buy this album. You won’t regret it! Per the band, it’s also destined for a vinyl release later in 2011.
Nellie McKay on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts
Nellie McKay stopped by for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert with Bob Boilen / All Songs Considered…
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135019502/nellie-mckay-tiny-desk-concert
Download the podcast (FREE on iTunes):
~Dan – np: Placebo – Sleeping With Ghosts
Incubus – Adolescents
So what was this all about on EnjoyIncubus.com?
The next Incubus album is done (see post), and they posted the first song from it on Soundcloud… “Adolescents.” Click the image above to hear the streaming track.
Update 4/6… the album art from Brandon Boyd’s FB page…
Update 4/15… Album Title, Tracklist, Release Date
If Not Now, When? is the name of the album, and it will come out on July 12th, 2011.
Tracklisting:
1. If Not Now, When?
2. Promises, Promises
3. Friends And Lovers
4. Thieves
5. Isadore
6. The Original
7. Defiance
8. In The Company Of Wolves
9. Switchblade
10. Adolescents
11. Tomorrow’s Food
~Dan – np: Madeleine Peyroux – Bare Bones
Gary Cherone – HURTSMILE 2011 Tour
One of the tragically timed bands in existence… Extreme. They were too good to be lumped in with the “hairband” era, yet with their power ballads as their primary radio coverage – that’s what they got labeled. Then grunge came along and washed well-produced, melodic art-rock out to sea…
I was lucky enough to catch their Saudades de Rock tour in Cincinnati a few years ago (with King’s X, too!). Extreme’s power duo of Gary Cherone (vocals for Extreme & one-time Van Halen) and Nuno Bettencourt (guitars) are one of my favorite duos to watch – period. They work sooo well together. Well, Nuno is now a hired gun on tour (currently Rihanna); so Gary is heading out on the road with his side-band: Hurtsmile. It also has Gary’s brother Markus on guitars (who I saw in 1995 with the band FLESH with Nuno’s brother Paulo on vocals… incestuous Boston music scene – for sure!).
I shant be lucky enough to catch this tour… but if you’re in one of these spots in the U.S. or Japan, check it out. Gary is an impressive performer. 
Their self-titled debut album came out in February (see link to the right for sound samples).
Hurtsmile 2011 Tour
- May 13 – the Cube Club – Newark, DE
- May 14 – M3 Rock Festival – Columbia, MD
- June 3 – Club Red – Phoenix, AZ
- June 4 – Casino Del Sol – Tuscon, AZ
- June 24th – The Bottom Line / NAGOYA
- June 25th – Red Box / KURASIKI
- June 26th – Caravan Sary / KOCHI
- June 27th – Bigcat / OSAKA
- June 29th – Live House enn 2nd / SENDAI
- June 30th – OEast / TOKYO
- July 1st – Live Space C-moon FUKUSHIMA
- July 2nd – STB139 / TOKYO
- July 21 – B.B. Kings – New York, NY
- July 22 – Showcase Live – Foxboro, MA
http://www.hurtsmile.com/
~Dan – np: Placebo – Sleeping With Ghosts
Sneak peak at OSI #4? New My Brightest Diamond album?
Yesterday, Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, OSI, ex-Dream Theater) posted on his twitter a video that based on the sound seems like it may be a sneak peak at the fourth OSI album:
(twitvid opens in new window)
Also, an unrelated twitter news blast as well…
Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) noted that she’s going into the studio on Friday to record her next album, and then shortly thereafter hinted to the name of said album – Everything is in Line.
Score two for new media…
~Dan – np: Derek Webb – Fuck You (by Cee-Lo Green)
Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 2 #1
One a month, from March to December 2011…
Derek Webb’s Democracy Vol 2… This month, it is “F**k You” by Cee-Lo Green (from Gnarls Barkley). I’m at work; so I haven’t had a chance to listen yet… but I’m looking forward to it! Part of me thinks Derek is solely doing this for the “Christian singer-songwriter singing ‘Fuck You’” aspect of it, but whatever… that aspect has no bearing on my views. I like Cee-Lo’s unconventional pop song, and I like Derek Webb. The combo should prove interesting – even if he recently tweeted that he muted the F-word, since he couldn’t sing an asterisk.
If Derek covers the song live on his current tour with Jars of Clay… well, that would be excellent… but unlikely.
Update: listening to it now… personal preference would be for it to not be self-censored. Vocals also sound kinda muddy, weirdly buried in the mix. Keyboards don’t seem synched up with the guitars & drums. I applaud his moxy, just perhaps not the execution. Still enjoyable, though – all things considered.
For those not in the know, Democracy Vol 2 is a continuation of the covers project Derek started last year. The fans get to nominate songs and then vote once the nominations are tallied. Here’s what he did back in 2010 (you can still go back and buy this volume):
- January 2010: The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- February: Coldplay – Fix You
- March: Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
- April: Gnarls Barkley – Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
- May: Sufjan Stevens – Chicago *a personal fave*
- June: U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name
- July: Huey Lewis & the News – Power of Love
- August: The Beatles – Eleanor Rigby *a personal fave*
- September: Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence
- October: Radiohead – Karma Police *a personal fave*
- November: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
- December: Robert Robinson – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Fans of Derek may also want to check out his contribution (amongst other great covers) of Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans. The tribute album put out by On Joyful Wings is called Seven Swans Reimagined. Derek does In Devil’s Territory. Other musicians include some Asthmatic Kitty favorites, and some newbies to the fold – including the Gregory Brothers (autotune the news) and Inlets.
~Dan – np: On Joyful Wings (various artists) – Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans Reimagined
Democracy Vol. 2 is a series of subscription based albums of cover songs that Derek will be recording annually, starting January 2010. Those who participate will not only receive the exclusive album, but will democratically decide what songs Derek will record.
Ever wished you could hear Derek cover your favorite Beatles song? Or Backstreet Boys song? Or even re-record your favorite old Caedmon’s Call song? Here’s your chance. Songs will be nominated and voted down to 10. Derek will record them (demo quality) and deliver them digitally (320kbps MP3s), one song per month for 10 months (March to December). Don’t miss your chance to be part of this unique collaborative project with Derek Webb!
Medeski Martin & Wood – 20 Download (reblog)
Today is the day… the first two songs are available for download. Go to the original post (below) for info on how to get Medeski Martin & Wood’s “Me2” and “Shackman“…
Kevin Moore collaborates on songs with In Progress
More news from Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, OSI, ex-Dream Theater) brought to us from The Mooreatorium…
Experimental rockers In Progress announced that Moore has collaborated with the band on three songs slated to appear on its forthcoming EP, North Athlantic Echoes. The collaboration materialized last year when In Progress’s keyboardist Jake Rosenberg – who is among the fans credited in Moore’s Shine album – reached out to Moore through his Kickstarter webpage and proposed the idea. Moore’s contributions to the three songs include drum programming, backup vocals and additional production.
“We are still doing final tracking on the EP, but are looking to have it completely wrapped, mixed, and mastered by mid-July,” band member John Dillon told The Mooreatorium. “We intend to do a small physical run of copies once we have material/art finalized.”
The band’s debut album, titled Signal Failure, was released in December and features Mark Zonder on drums. Zonder is the former drummer for Fates Warning and also worked with Moore on Chroma Key’s 1998 debut album, Dead Air for Radios.
To hear an unmastered version of In Progress’s upcoming single, “Chasing Ghosts,” featuring Moore, click below.
In Progress’s “Chasing Ghosts”:
http://soundcloud.com/inprogressmusic/chasing-ghosts
Stay tuned at: http://www.facebook.com/inprogressofficial
~Dan – np: Piano Magic – Seasonally Affective: 1996-2000
Blackfield – Waving (music video – 2011)
The first single from Blackfield’s 3rd album Welcome To My DNA… “Waving”…
Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree / No-Man / etc) & Aviv Geffen are taking Blackfield on the road in North America this spring. The album is on-sale at Amazon…
~Dan – np: PfR – Them
Shara Worden & yMusic @ Ecstatic Music Festival 2011 (concert webcast)
WQXR/WNYC just posted 2+ hours of live streaming music from Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) and yMusic’s performance at the Ecstatic Music Festival at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall.
This show features Shara Worden wearing both her composer and performer hats. yMusic premieres a work written for them by Shara and the classical/indie vocalist joins the instrumentalists on stage in selections from Sarah Kirkland Snider’s recent 2010 release, Penelope, one of my favorite albums of 2010 – which features Shara’s stunning vocals.
This performance by Shara Worden and yMusic is the third of four New Sounds Live broadcasts on Q2 from Merkin’s Hall’s Ecstatic Music Festival. Check out the other two webcasts – the 2011 People’s Commissioning Fund concert and Newspeak and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. The final broadcast on March 28 features So Percussion and Bobby Previte.
~Dan – np: Pedro the Lion – The Only Reason I Feel Secure Is That I Am Validated By My Peers
Maybe the worst song/music video of all-time…
Do our children have the dumb?
Yes, they have the dumb. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” came out yesterday. Lyrically, it’s not much worse than an AC/DC song (or any other “let’s rock” or “working for the weekend” type song). Sure, it is worse, but not by much. Visually, it’s like Disney broke into a Skittles factory and broke things. My brain hurts so much… I mean, this is far worse than the usual pap music that tweens listen to, right?
Sure, it’s not geared for me. I’m sorry for exposing you to this, but until we face the facts, we can never know, “is our children learning?”
Sidenote… someone needs to edit Thom Yorke dancing to this tune. STAT!
Update 3/18 (Friday)… Matt Mulholland’s version rocks…
The original is dreadful, but this version is kind of fantastically great… still waiting for a Thom Yorke dancing version of the video… come on, folks!
~Dan – np: Jonny Greenwood – Norwegian Wood
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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