Archive
Artists of the Decade – 2000s (#1 to 10)
Artists of the Decade – Honorable Mentions (1/1/2010 blog link)
- Dweezil Zappa
- Tori Amos
- Celldweller
- Iron & Wine
- King’s X
- Derek Webb
Artists of the Decade (#21 to 25) (1/1/2010 blog link)
25 ~ Ben Folds (solo)
24 ~ Peter Mulvey
23 ~ Opeth
22 ~ dredg
21 ~ Holy Fuck
Artists of the Decade (#11 to 20) (1/4/2010 blog link)
20 ~ Pedro the Lion (and David Bazan solo)
19 ~ Jurassic 5
18 ~ My Brightest Diamond
17 ~ Nellie McKay
16 ~ Secret Chiefs 3
15 ~ Over the Rhine
14 ~ Mike Patton
13 ~ Ani DiFranco
12 ~ Johnny Cash
11 ~ Dave Douglas
And now on to the final ten…
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10 ~ Glen Phillips

At the turn of the decade / century / millenium, Glen’s band Toad the Wet Sprocket were breaking up. He went on to make several solo albums (Winter Pays For Summer being my fave thus far), several mostly brilliant side ventures (Plover, RemoteTreeChildren, WPA, Mutual Admiration Society), and even reunite with Toad for some tours. He’s as active as ever and also quite the tweeter (oft humorous / oft political).
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9 ~ Porcupine Tree (and Steven Wilson projects)

Near the beginning of the decade, I was giving up on “prog rock.” Then a buddy told me about Porcupine Tree (thanks, SteveC). 2002’s In Absentia is amazing, and I quickly bought PT’s catalogue. The entire decade was full of Steven Wilson projects – whether Porcupine Tree or his many (and I mean many) side projects. Speaking of… Steven’s 6th and final Cover Versions CD and 7″ vinyl will be out sometime soon in the coming months.
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8 ~ Sufjan Stevens

Illinoise was Paste’s #1 album of the decade. I think it’s in my Top 10 (as mentioned earlier, I honestly can’t bring myself to widdle down my album list to 20 or even 50 for the decade). Illinoise was my first foray into Sufjan’s world. The infatuation was near immediate. He ranges from poppy, to eclectic folk, to avant-electronic, to chamber music… and I think his song titles, while sometimes considered pretentious, put him in my hero list. :) The later part of the decade showed a more secluded Sufjan and a recant on the 50 States “promise.” However, I’m still very excited about what’s up his sleeves for the next decade.
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7 ~ John Zorn (Masada and otherwise)

I knew of Zorn in the 1990s (via the connection to Mike Patton and specifically Mr. Bungle), but didn’t get into him until 2003 or so. Even still, I didn’t know about Masada (his klezmer-jazz quartet) until mid-decade. Their recorded studio work was all in the 1990s, but they stayed active touring throughout the 2000s… and John Zorn kept actively writing Masada Book Two – which is a book of music covered by other bands and has seen a dozen fantastic releases on his label, Tzadik. I just counted, and I have 82 John Zorn related disks from the decade (CDs, DVDs, vinyl). So, um, yeah, he’s prolific. The Masada / Bar Kokhba / Electric Masada is my favorite category of Zorn releases; but his Filmworks series, Moonchild Trio (Mike Patton, Joey Baron & Trevor Dunn), and The Gift / Dreamers band are also key releases. 2010 has 12 new Zorn releases on the docket. *drool*
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6 ~ Maynard James Keenan (Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer)

One of the best singers in the world of rock, Maynard has kept busy… this decade: three bands and eight or so albums, several DVD releases, remix albums & singles, vinyl singles, and a new winery. While he doesn’t always nail it every time, his and his bands’ hit rates far exceed most. His solid work ethic points to more releases next decade. A recent interview leads me to believe that the touring side of things may slow down some, but I’m hoping that just means “less touring” and not “no touring.” There have been hints of Tool and A Perfect Circle studio stuff in the near future… and Puscifer seems alive and kicking (and keen on the internet EP thing). Puscifer is hitting the Midwest and East Coast in early 2010.
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5 ~ Daniel Johns (Silverchair & The Dissociatives)

2002’s Diorama (by Silverchair) is a contender for best album of the decade for me. Daniel Johns followed that up with a side project with Paul Mac called The Dissociatives. Their self-titled debut (2004) is also a contender for best album of the decade… then Silverchair came roaring back in 2007 with Young Modern – another strong contender. Daniel Johns and his couple of bands has large gaps between studio releases, but they all score high every time for me. They’ve moved well beyond their debut (which they released in the 90s at age 15). 2010 promises the follow-up to Young Modern… so, look out, Best of 2010 lists…
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4 ~ Elliott Smith

I found out about Elliott in early 2000, a little bit after Figure 8 came out. I had the opportunity to see him live at Southgate House (Newport, KY) on the Figure 8 Tour. He quickly became an important part of my musical diet. His albums hit me emotionally, but he left us too early (he died of apparent self-induced stab wounds to the heart on October 21, 2003). I still get goosebumps with his music and quite frankly have never been affected by a celebrity’s death like I am by Elliott’s. An album and more of his unreleased material has made its way out since his death. I don’t believe in an afterlife, but if there were one, I’d hope to get to meet Elliott and have a beer with him.
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3 ~ Sigur Rós
Ágætis byrjun and ( ) may be the most beautiful things that I don’t understand due to language barriers – two perfect albums, if you ask me. This past decade Sigur Rós went on to make four full length albums, a handful of EPs and soundtracks, several world tours, an utterly gorgeous tour documentary called Heima (that rivals Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii in stunning beauty), and still find time to take time off (well, time off except for Jónsi – who released a duo album with his partner Alex Sommers and is set to release a solo album in early 2010).
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2 ~ Radiohead (and Thom & Jonny solo)

One of the most unarguably overrated bands of all-time… yet, one of my favorites. The decade started with Kid A and ended with some Thom Yorke solo activity… it was a full decade of albums, tours, solo work (the aforementioned Thom solo stuff plus two soundtracks from Jonny). They branch out and sometimes get more praise and credit than is merited (I know skads of indie artists doing the “pay what you want” method years before In Rainbows), but I suppose Radiohead were the first formerly major-label / international band to do so. Anyway, Radiohead, despite public pressure, continue to evolve as a band. That scores major points with me. They’re hitting the studio in January 2010… yippie.
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1 ~ Kevin Moore (Chroma Key & OSI)

Yeah, the #1 of the decade who few know about… Kevin Moore left the progressive rock band Dream Theater in 1994, shedding the seemingly antithetic “progressive” constraints of the progressive scene to make his own music. Chroma Key’s debut Dead Air For Radios (1999) is my #1 album of all-time… but it came out in the late 90s. The 2000 album You Go Now is probably in my Top 10 of all-time as well. The branching out into scoring with Kevin’s solo soundtrack Ghost Book (for the Turkish horror movie OKUL), political/religious-imagery radio/mix-taping with Memory Hole 1, and the new band project with Jim Matheos called the Office of Strategic Influence (aka O.S.I.) solidified Kevin in my favorite artists list. I’m looking forward to more Chroma Key, O.S.I., Memory Hole, or solo work that Kevin puts out… hopefully soon.
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As pointed out the other day, the 2010s are shaping up to be a great decade… see you on the other side!
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ’09 are *HERE*
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid

Oh, and for those who say that the decade ends at the end of 2010… meh. I’m starting with 0 and ending with 9 (like a LOT of people). Rationale: the 80s, the 90s… you don’t say the 80s went from 1/1/1981 to 12/31/1990 or the 90s from 1/1/1991 to 12/31/2000.
Puscifer – Spring 2010
Maynard James Keenan is taking Puscifer to the midwest and east coast in Spring 2010… I’d highly recommend the VIP wine tasting tickets, if you can. It was only an extra $20-25 or so, and you get some Caduceus/Merkin wine and meet Maynard. This tour is also right on the heels of the release of the Arizona wine documentary Blood Into Wine (click link for trailers).
Mar. 02 – Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
Mar. 03 – Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
Mar. 05 – Washington DC – Lincoln Theater
Mar. 06 – Washington DC – Lincoln Theater
Mar. 08 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of the Living Arts
Mar. 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of the Living Arts
Mar. 11 – New York, NY – Grand Ballroom
Mar. 13 – New York, NY – Apollo Theater
Mar. 15 – Boston, MA – Berklee Academy of Music
Mar. 16 – Boston, MA – Berklee Academy of Music
Mar. 19 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theater
Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theater
Mar. 21 – Lorain, OH (Cleveland) – Lorain Theater
Mar. 23 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Theater
Mar. 24 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Theater
Mar. 26 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theater
Mar. 27 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theater
Mar. 28 – Columbus, OH – Lifestyles Community Pavilion (added 1/12)
Mar. 30 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater (date changed)
Mar. 30 – St Louis, MO – Roberts Orpheum Theater (canceled)
Mar. 31 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
Apr. 02 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theater
Apr. 03 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theater
Have fun, folks! Puscifer in Portland last month was a blast or two. :)
~Dan – np: My Brightest Diamond – Shark Remixes, Vol 4: DM Stith 
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Maynard’s BLOOD INTO WINE
Two new trailers for Maynard James Keenan‘s forthcoming documentary Blood Into Wine…
(the serious trailer)
(the silly trailer)
I heard about this during the wine tasting portion of the Portland Puscifer show… now seeing the trailers – I’m stoked to see the movie. It looks great… they need to find a way to package a 2-DVD with a 375 mL of the 2007 Judith. :)
Or, heck, even the recent Chupacabra / DVD combo would be nice, as the Judith is rarer than rare (20 cases).
Note: Maynard is the singer in Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer… and he makes great wines.
C is for…
The new digital only Puscifer EP is out now… get it on Amazon or iTunes.
The tour is underway and hits Portland’s Roseland Theater this coming weekend… woot! I’ll be at the Saturday & Monday shows.
~Dan – np: Puscifer – C is For…

no free downloads, mp3, or torrents available here
Puscifer “The Mission” video
“The Mission,” from the forthcoming Puscifer digital EP…
I like Meats Meier, but I think this “little CGI Maynard” theme in his videos are getting a bit tiring to me. Oh well… good song. The C is For… -EP- comes out Nov 10th. Check out tour dates below…
- 10/29/09, Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl, Palms Casino)
- 10/31, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/1, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/4, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/5, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/7, Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)
- 11/10, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/11, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/13, Vancouver, BC (Centre For the Performing Arts)
- 11/14, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *I’ll be at this one*
- 11/16, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *and this one*
check back in mid-November for my reviews with photos
- 11/17, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/18, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/20, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/21, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/24, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/25, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/27, Houston, TX (Jones Hall for the Performing Arts)
- 11/28, San Antonio, TX (Majestic Theatre)
- 12/1, El Paso, TX (Abraham Chavez Theatre)
- 12/3, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
- 12/4, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
Yay, I get to see Maynard up close at Roseland (for $20+ extra, I opted for the Caduceus wine meet & greet, too). I’ve only seen him in a big arena for Tool or a big theater for A Perfect Circle. Should be fun…
~Dan – np: Regina Spektor – Far

PS- I’m gonna pass 100,000 hits on the blog either today or tomorrow. Yippie… thanks for all of you who visit and read frequently via the RSS feed.
Puscifer EP (Nov 10)
As reported on TOOL‘s website, Maynard James Keenan is releasing a digital only Puscifer EP on November 10, 2009…

~Dan – np: McTuff on Jazz NW 10/11/09
Puscifer Tour Dates:
- 10/29, Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl, Palms Casino)
- 10/31, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/1, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/4, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/5, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/7, Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)
- 11/10, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/11, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/13, Vancouver, BC (Centre For the Performing Arts)
- 11/14, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *I’ll be at this one*
- 11/16, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *and this one*
check back in mid-November for my reviews with photos - 11/17, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/18, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/20, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/21, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/24, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/25, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/27, Houston, TX (Jones Hall for the Performing Arts)
- 11/28, San Antonio, TX (Majestic Theatre)
- 12/1, El Paso, TX (Abraham Chavez Theatre)
- 12/3, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
- 12/4, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
PUSCIFER’s Fall 2009 West Coast Tour
Update: I’ll be at both Portland shows. Go HERE for the review and photos from Night #1 (11/14/09)… and HERE for the review and photos from Night #2 (11/16/09).

Tool & A Perfect Circle frontman (and winemaker) Maynard James Keenan‘s Puscifer project hit Las Vegas and Los Angeles this past Winter & Spring. Now, Puscifer’s hitting the road, or at least the road on the Western side of the States (aka “good enough for me“). I shall hit one of the Seattle or Portland dates, assuming I’m able to score a ticket…
Puscifer Tour Dates:
- 10/29, Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl, Palms Casino)
- 10/31, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/1, San Diego, CA (Spreckels Theatre)
- 11/4, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/5, Oakland, CA (Fox Oakland Theater)
- 11/7, Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)
- 11/10, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/11, Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
- 11/13, Vancouver, BC (Centre For the Performing Arts)
- 11/14, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom)
- 11/16, Portland, OR (Roseland Ballroom) *new, 21+ show*
- 11/17, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/18, Salt Lake City, UT (Capitol Theatre)
- 11/20, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/21, Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
- 11/24, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/25, Dallas, TX (McFarlin Memorial Auditorium)
- 11/27, Houston, TX (Jones Hall for the Performing Arts)
- 11/28, San Antonio, TX (Majestic Theatre)
- 12/1, El Paso, TX (Abraham Chavez Theatre)
- 12/3, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
- 12/4, Phoenix, AZ (Orpheum Theatre)
Puscifer tickets onsale… soon? September 11th for most of the dates. I don’t know any details, and suffice to say, I’m not blogging about pre-sale info until I’ve secured one for myself. :P :)
REVIEW: Madeleine Peyroux @ the Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 3/25/09)

Great show last night… Madeleine Peyroux and her jazzy quartet played a smooth hour and half set at the Shedd. I’m really coming to love the early start time, no opener, and home at a reasonable time shows at the Shedd. No pictures or (accurate) set list from me for this show… I was in a hurry and drove straight in from work in Portland to make it time for the show.
Madeleine had a backing quartet made up of a piano/keyboard/organ/melodica player, an electric/upright bassist, a mandolin/guitarist, and a drummer/cardboard box player. They were a really well put together band…
Songs I remember them playing:
Dance Me to the End of Love, Bare Bones, You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, La Javanaise, Love and Treachery, Our Lady of Pigalle, I Must Be Saved. They came back for an encore dedicated to Barack Obama (There’s Something Grand).
Great, soothing show. Wonderful, lush, Billie Holiday-esque vocals, great accompaniment. If she comes through your town, check her out! Oh, she also has a new CD out, Bare Bones:
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/officialmadeleinepeyroux
- http://www.theshedd.org/
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Totally side note cool news…
- Tool is touring this summer.. read more at Blabbermouth.
- Medeski Martin & Wood‘s Radiolarians II is coming out April 14th.
Drawing Illusion
Get your mind out of the gutter!!
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Oh, and totally unrelated, but it popped up on my RSS feed… TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan‘s side project, PUSCIFER, will perform at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on April 4, 2009. He just got off a three-day stint at the Pearl in Las Vegas’ Palms Casino. Maybe this one-city-being-booked-at-a-time tour will come my way sometime before 2012. :)
~Dan – np: Monty Colvin “Chia Pet” (with Ben Huggins)

galactic cowboys crunchy king’s x California
a quad-shot of espresso [in music news format]
Four shots of espresso…

- Dream Theater will have a new album out in the Summer. My guess is that it’ll have long songs, some rockin’, some ballads, and it’ll mostly be enjoyable when there is no singing involved. No title for the album yet. My guess would be that it’ll be named after some obscure latin verb conjugated in a clever way, or some multi-syllabic extinct bird and/or fish. They’ll be kicking off the Progressive Nation 2009 Tour. Dates are not out yet, but I hope they swing through Portland, OR (or at a minimum, Seattle). And… and… and…
- Zappa Plays Zappa will be on the bill for that tour. So will Pain of Salvation and Beard Fish, but that’s totally not as cool as Zappa Plays Zappa and Dream Theater in one night. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater drummer) is a huge Frank Zappa fan; so I bet it’s a dream come true for him as well… I’m more stoked for ZPZ than DT. Eh, sue me.
- Iron & Wine is releasing a b-sides / rarities double-disc set called Around the Well (May 19, Sub Pop), and he’s also heading out on an all-request tour. Check out the tracklist for the double-disc as well as the tour dates over at Pitchfork (link).
- U2 will essentially take over as house band on the David Letterman Show with five days in a row performances the week of March 2nd in support of their upcoming album, No Line on the Horizon.
Half and half…
(image by burntwoodstudio.com)
- Maynard James Keenan and his Puscifer project’s three nights of shows at the Palms in Las Vegas is underway now. Feb 13, 14, 15… anyone go? Got a good review? I’m totally jealous.
The “don’t burn your hands” sleeve that goes around the cup…
- Björk is re-issuing the underwhelming Volta in a special 4-disc edition that I may actually spring for (i.e.- I never bought Volta, but this version looks great). It’s called Voltaic, and it’s the Volta CD (billed as “Songs From The Volta Tour Performed Live At Olympic Studios”), a CD of the official remixes, a live DVD from Paris & Reykjavik, and a DVD of the Volta videos. Quite frankly, the DVD of the videos is what piqued my interest (see gif to the right).
Hmmm… now I’m craving a venti americano with room for cream.
~Dan – np: Wynton Marsalis – From Plantation to the Penitentiary

Puscifer Command Central
Maynard James Keenan (aka Major Douche) held a press conference about the upcoming Feb 13-15th Puscifer shows at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas:
Oh, how I wish I could go to Vegas in a few weeks… like, not as much as I wish I were in San Francisco for the Week of Masada in March, but pretty damn close. Pretty… damn…. close…
a trio of music news
New Puscifer video… while CGI like the other Puscifer vids, it’s the first one that features a non-CGI Maynard James Keenan (complete with a bottle of his own Caduceus wine)… “Momma Sed,” brought to you by the A and F in ATF:
only the A & F in ATF… in that he doesn’t smoke.
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Ben Folds Five reunion show for The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner from last month’s MySpace Front to Back is now online in its entirety: GO HERE –> http://www.myspace.com/fronttoback

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The New Years’ Eve concert put on by Ipecac Recordings in San Francisco is set… Fantômas will be playing The Director’s Cut in its entirety. Openers: Tipsy & Zach Hill. It’s $45 and a long drive away; so it’s out for me… but go here if you’re interested: Great American Music Hall’s New Years 2009

Oh, and Breaking news: Beyonce has changed her name to Ra Tsass… or Hoo Kares… or Due Moss… or Sasha Fierce. Meh.
Latest: Noctaluca, Puscifer/Lustmord, David Bazan’s Xmas
In order of awesomeness…
Noctaluca, one of my favorite Cincinnati-based rock bands (and quite frankly, one of my favorite rock bands regardless of local flavor) just put out their newest CD, Still the Wicked Rest. I ordered it the same time as their Live DVD, and somehow thought that the new CD was just a live thing, too. Well, when it showed up, I was all like, “hmmm… this looks like a legitimate studio CD.” And, well, it is a new studio CD. And it’s awesome. Think two-guitar hard rock (with a sound that’s equal parts Led Zeppelin & early Alice in Chains) with a strong singer-songwriter core, powerful vocals, and lyrics for the Rage Against the Machine set…

Noctaluca is fronted by singer-songwriter Jason Ludwig. His solo debut, PeLL MeLL, was one of my Top 10 from 2003. Right after he got a lot of local acclaim for this, he ditched gigging by his name and started gigging his new band, Noctaluca. In 2003, I snagged a copy of of the “Monkey Moon” radio single they had at a table at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. This was the only recorded Noctaluca until 2006’s long-awaited Towering the Sum. Towering the Sum was in a good group of favorite local CDs that year, as well as being in my Top 10 vocal CDs in 2006, too. All this to say that I LIKE NOCTALUCA. Being surprised with a new studio CD is well, awesomes…

And they start the new Still the Wicked Rest CD off with a re-recording of “Monkey Moon“… natch. It deserved to make its way onto an official CD… finally.
Check ’em out!
http://www.noctaluca.com/
http://www.myspace.com/noctaluca
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Next up in awesomeness… getting endless mileage out of the same songs, there’s a new download-only dub mix of Puscifer songs by the dark & ambient Lustmord. Puscifer is Maynard James Keenan (from Tool & A Perfect Circle). Lustmord has had his hand at remixing the Melvins, Puscifer music previously releases, as well as maybe A Perfect Circle song(s). My mind fails me, and I’m too lazy to check at this point. :) The new album is 53 minutes, 8 songs… and fits in with the Puscifer album as well as a darker dub sound. I’d recommend it if you like Maynard’s music, Lustmord’s music, dark dub, or remixes…

It’s available only at Puscifer’s store for now:
https://store.puscifer.com/
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Next up in awesomeness… still awesome, but it is Christmas music (of which I usually don’t like); so it gets last billing. David Bazan of Pedro the Lion put out another holiday-themed 7″ vinyl – a split of melancholy Jingle Bells & All I Want for Christmas. This was the first one since I’ve lived on the West Coast. The East Coast people got a 3 hour jump on the overnight email he sent out, and they snatched them all up… except for a few on Suicide Squeeze‘s website. I scored one… but barely.

A 1,000 quantity pressing may not be enough, bro.
59″ of aural pleasure
Some words on some recent vinyl added to my collection…
God of Shamisen The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack! 7″ (God of Shamisen)

From the Secret Chiefs 3 / Estradasphere connection, I first heard God of Shamisen on the MySpaces (http://www.myspace.com/gos). This white vinyl with red label in white sleeve should clue you in to its Japanese influence. The shamisen is a 3-stringed instrument that’s played with a big ice scraper-like pic (called a Bachi)and has a somewhat banjo-like quality. I saw Kevin Kmetz (aka the “God of Shamisen”) play with Estradasphere, and it melded well with their sound as well. If you’ve seen a recent Nintendo Wii commercial… well, you know what a shamisen sounds like.
This 7″ includes “The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack!” and “Strange Relationship Attack!,” both of which can only be heard here on the vinyl or at their MySpace. IMO, “Ray Bradbury” is worth the price alone. Their full-length debut CD should be out sometime later this year. Info about the band and the vinyl is here: http://www.godofshamisen.com/
Radiohead Jigsaw Falling Into Place 7″ (XL)

This 7″ includes “Videotape (Live from the Basement),” as opposed to the CD single version that includes “Down is the New Up” and “Last Flowers” (both also “Live from the Basement”). It can be gotten at Amazon.
Puscifer V is for Vagina 12″ -and- Queen B 7″ -and- Dozo 7″ (Puscifer Entertainment)



I got these mainly because I’m a Maynard fan. Most of what’s on them (ie- the remixes) can be found on iTunes (except for the Queen B Trip E Mix). If you do search out the vinyl… I’d recommend Amazon and not Puscifer HQ, though. Puscifer’s shipping charges are ludicrous… like more ludicrous than the Pope at a truck rally. Prior Puscifer limited editions weren’t available on Amazon; so this is a move in the right direction (IMO). I also got the Dozo DVD along with this shipment… warning: it’s got a damn annoying menu (it’s hard to find what you’re looking for… like the commentary… which may be Maynard, may be David Cross, may be my mailman).
Holy Fuck Lovely Allen 7″ -and- 12″ (Young Turks)

These were available a few months ago directly from Young Turks (a UK label), but again, horrid shipping and USD-to-GBP conversion. They became available stateside earlier in May from Beggars Group USA for a waaaay reasonable price (only $7 for all 19″ of thick, black… vinyl).
The 7″ includes “Super Inuit (studio)” along with the title track. The 12″ includes “Riton Rerub,” “Minotaur Shock (Broadmead Redevelopment Version),” and “No Age Remix” along with the title track. All of these are available on iTunes as well (check ’em out… or at least the first 30 seconds).
Oh snap… I just saw that the “Lovely Allen” and “Milkshake” videos are on iTunes. Click. Click. Rock.
That’s all for now… again, if you’re not a vinyl dweeb, check out the shiz on iTunes or whathaveyou…
It’s not how big you make it spin, it’s how you spin it…
~Dan – np: ethan winogrand w/ steven bernstein – tangled tango
PS- I forgot about the Lovage (Dan the Automator, Mike Patton, Jennifer Charles from Elysian Fields) Songs to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (Instrumentals) 12″ I got on Saturday at CD World here in town (they had a big 25% off all vinyl sale last wknd… woot)… so, I guess my new title should be 71″ of aural pleasure… eh… too late.










































































































































































The Pulse of Radio reports that TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan is putting together a cabaret-style show for a string of dates at The Palms in Las Vegas, beginning in mid-February. According to an inside source, the shows will feature both comedy and music. Keenan is not a stranger to this kind of gig – he told The Pulse of Radio that his side band PUSCIFER actually evolved out of a similar type of show he used to do in his pre-TOOL days in Hollywood. “Generally started off as a name that I was attaching to some of the comedy things I was doing with (comedian) Laura Milligan at this club called Tantrum which existed in the Diamond Club on Hollywood and La Brea,” he said. “(We’d) have a variety show, lots of talent coming through there just kind of trying out their new stuff. So PUSCIFER was kind of like the band that would kind of close the show.”
The Beatles’ “Carnival of Light,” a 14-minute experimental piece from 1967, may see the light of day soon if Paul McCartney has his way. McCartney confirmed the track’s existence in a BBC Radio 4 interview; the song was recorded for an electronic music festival but was never officially released.





