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MONDO CANE!

Reblogged from Stubbadub, a Mondo Cane news snippet from Greg Werckman (Mike Patton’s co-partner/co-founder of Ipecac Recordings):
“Got some cool upcoming releases. Just released BEAK> (a Portishead side project), releasing a DJ Rob Swift solo record in Feb, Mondo Cane, Mike Patton’s long awaited Italian pop project comes out in April, followed by new Melvins and more!
Sah-weet! It was supposed to come out in 2009, but got pushed back due to Mike’s Faith No More reunion touring. This album is gonna be excellent, 50’s Italian pop vocal goodness from Mike Patton.
~Dan – np: Nelly Furtado – Mi Plan 

Wussy’s 2010 plans
From the Wussy camp’s website…
We are gearing up for a busy winter and spring so keep your ears peeled. Right now we’re planning spring tour dates and working on a new record. We’ll have a single (vinyl-only) on Shake It Records coming out this spring as part of their Dangerous Highway series, a tribute to Eddie Hinton. The A-Side is our take on the classic “Breakfast in Bed” made famous by Dusty Springfield. More news on that soon. The Drive By Truckers and Greg Dulli 45’s are out now (see shakeitrecords.com for more info).
In the meantime, we’re also working on a live album and a collection of Wussy remixes from other artists.
In other news, Wussy’s self-titled album was #10 on Christgau’s 2009 Dean’s List!
www.wussymusic.com
Cool! I’m looking forward to any new recorded music and touring from this great band!
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Also, reminder… if you can, please click this link and help the American Red Cross in their Haiti Earthquake Relief efforts. Also, you can donate $10 to the relief efforts in Haiti by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” The charge will show up on your phone bill.
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no download or torrent available
Johnny Cash – American VI
Johnny Cash‘s final (?) American Recording produced by Rick Rubin, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, will come out on February 23, 2010 (his would-be 78th birthday):
Covers on the set include Sheryl Crow’s “Redemption Day,” Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times,” Ed McCurdy’s “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” and Bob Nolan’s “Cool Water.” American VI will also feature the never-before-heard Cash original “I Corinthians 15:55,” which he wrote during the last three years of his life.
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Also, reminder… if you can, please click this link and help the American Red Cross in their Haiti Earthquake Relief efforts. Also, you can donate $10 to the relief efforts in Haiti by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” The charge will show up on your phone bill.
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2010 anticipated albums
So, the year end and decade end recaps are in process (the monkeys I ordered are in the back room typing away) … I needed something to fill the gap… here are some artists who are expecting to release new material in 2010, all of which I’m looking forward to…




The Album Leaf‘s A Chorus of Storytellers, My Brightest Diamond‘s Shark Remixes box set, Go from Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós, French singer Jeanne Cherhal‘s Charade, George Hrab‘s Trebuchet, 12 new albums from John Zorn, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane and hopefully Crudo (if they’re both not put off due to Faith No More reunion touring), Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 1 (and he’s even recording with Caedmon’s Call for a 2010 release or two), guitar phenom Kaki King, maybe the Secret Chiefs 3 will finally release Book of Souls (it’s their “Chinese Democracy”), Eisley & Perma (a side project with Sherri from Eisley), Ellery from Cincinnati, Ty Tabor of King’s X, A.N.M. featuring Doug Pinnick of King’s X and Jimi Hazel of 24-7 Spyz, Ken Andrew and Co’s Digital Noise Academy, Trent Reznor’s just announced new Nine Inch Nails album, Silverchair are working on one, Radiohead are hitting the studio (maybe something out by year’s end), and… Ani DiFranco – I mean, it’s inevitable… right?
Plus many more great albums due out in 2010, I’m sure.
Kim Taylor – Little Miracle
Cincinnati artist Kim Taylor just put out her latest full length, Little Miracle (and I mean “just”). It’s digital only at this time (but DRM free)… pick it up via her Nimbit store at http://kim-taylor.net/…
I’ll be picking it up tonight when I get home… and you know what this means? My Top 25 for 2009 is not done (crap – I just finished it yesterday). Eh, it just means my current #25 (U2‘s No Line on the Horizon) is very likely getting bumped.
Support indie music! With Kim Taylor, you can’t go wrong! Srsly.
I {lessthanthree} Jónsi
SO, Jónsi of Sigur Rós is a rare bird…
No, he’s not a stuffed penguin. But his glimpse into the studio for the upcoming album, Go, is fun and just what I’d expect from him. All I know is that if his promised tour hits anywhere close to me, I’m sooooo fucking going. Pardon my French, but… Je baise ainsi aller à ce concert.
He’s a rare bird, in that I think musically he hits me in a way that others don’t and/or can’t. The little snippets of sound coming from Jonsi.com are spot on what I want to hear. Plus he’s got the aesthetic approach that can do no wrong in my book. Check out his recent PR shots (shot by Lilja & Inga Birgisdóttir and posted on his Facebook page):
Proof for aliens. Icelandic people can’t possibly be human. They make things that are too beautiful.
nouvel album par Jeanne Cherhal
Quirky French songstress Jeanne Cherhal will have a new album coming out on March 8, 2010. It’ll be called Charade and likely hard to find in the U.S. Luckily Amazon.fr’s buttons are in roughly the same place as Amazon.com’s… that’s how I blindly ordered her last album, L’Eau. :)
I found out about Jeanne when we picked up her (brilliant) debut album, Douze fois par an, in a record store in Toulouse, France.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to a new one…
Le songstress français bizarre Jeanne Cherhal aura un nouvel album sortir le 8 mars 2010. Ce s’appellera Charade et probablement difficile à trouver aux États-Unis heureusement Amazon.fr’s les boutons de s sont dans rudement le même lieu comme Amazon.com’s. C’est comment j’ai aveuglément commandé son dernier album, L’Eau. J’ai découvert au sujet de Jeanne quand nous avons pris son premier album brillant, Douze fois par an, dans un magasin record à Toulouse, la France. Quoi qu’il en soit, j’attends avec intérêt un nouvel album…
David Byrne’s Here Lies Love

What do Tori Amos, Nellie McKay, Sia, St Vincent, Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, Cyndi Lauper and more all have in common?
They are all featured vocalists on the upcoming 2CD/1DVD concept album by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim… Here Lies Love (due out 23 Feb 2010). They had me at Tori Amos and Nellie McKay… then the list kept going. My dad claims that “crap isn’t holy,” but quite frankly, I beg to differ. “Holy crap” is a primo utterance afforded upon this new album.
The concept… “Here Lies Love presents Imelda Marcos meditating on events in her life, from her childhood spent in poverty and her rise to power to her ultimate departure from the palace. In particular, the production looks at the relationship between Imelda and a servant from her childhood, Estrella Cumpas, who appeared at key moments in Imelda’s life.”
Read more over at David Byrne’s site.
2010: The Year of the Zorn
As posted on Tzadik.com…
GREAT NEWS FOR ZORN FANS!
2010 will be a landmark year for John Zorn who promises 12 new CD releases-one every month! Included will be new music from The Dreamers, Moonchild and Alhambra, 3 new releases in Masada Book Two: Book of Angels series, a major new studio composition dedicated to the Korean-American writer Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, a classical release featuring his acclaimed violin concerto Contes des Fées, the DVD release of his opera with Richard Foreman ASTRONOME, a ripping improvised duo recording with Fred Frith and undoubtedly several surprises. Most of the recordings are already completed and the release schedule set, so keep your eyes and ears open and expect a new Zorn release every 4th Tuesday of the month in 2010!
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Also on the new album front… as discussed earlier, the My Brightest Diamond remix boxset (4 EPs on 2 CDs) is now up for pre-order. There are only going to be 1,500 sets pressed, signed and numbered by Shara Worden. Find out more HERE.
Ric Hordinski – Notes from the Monastery
So, I’ve gotta tell you about a fantastic new collection of previously unreleased songs from Ric Hordinski‘s monastery studio… Notes from the Monastery. It ships December 18th, and with the pre-order you get an immediate 320kbps mp3 download of it. It has new songs by Ric Hordinski (aka Monk), Over the Rhine, Ellery, singer-songwriters Kim Taylor and Sarah Masen, a great new instrumental piece by guitarist Phil Keaggy, et cetera…
http://richordinski.portmerch.com/stores/product.php?productid=17109
Track Listing:
- With Me Tonight (Ellery)
- I Used to Know (Sarah Masen)
- Hard Times (Over the Rhine)
- Rabbit (Harrod and Funck)
- Clover (Kim Taylor)
- Always Right (David Wilcox)
- Hopscotch (Phil Keaggy)
- Bella Luna (2K9) (Venus Hum)
- Yesu Bhajan (Aradhna)
- Villainous Company (Ric Hordinski)
MP3 Bonus Track: Flown Free (Over the Rhine)
I’ve been a fan of Ric Hordinski for a long time. Ric (pronounced “Rich”) was a founding member of Cincinnati band Over the Rhine. When he left Over the Rhine, he went on to make some gorgeous music via his creative outlet called MONK. The mostly instrumental affairs hit the spot on a great fall or winter day – sipping your favorite warm beverage and chillin’ with loved ones (or a loved pup). :) Ric has moved lately to more of a producer / studio expert… and the above songs are unique glimpses of his varied studio work (all previously unreleased by the artists).
I’d highly recommend the above Notes from the Monastery… and check out some of Ric’s other work (all kind of harder to find now except the more recent ones: The Silent of Everything Yearned For and When I Consider How My Light Is Spent). Anyway, here is his key discography in reverse order…
(harder to find)
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If you can dig up the O -EP- on eBay, I’d also recommend it. I got it hot off the presses… and I ain’t lettin’ mine go. :) Oh, and yeah, searching for Ric’s Monk CDs on eBay is really difficult due to a certain Thelonious Sphere Monk who may have released a few albums. Just a few… happy hunting!!
Anyway, I get hundreds of records a year, and I don’t specifically blog about all of them (this is more of a news and concert reviews blog). That should clue you in that this new Ric Hordinski compilation is a special one… go get it.
Daniel Johns (Silverchair) on JJJ
Silverchair front-man Daniel Johns called into Australia’s Triple J to give info about the upcoming album. You can go listen to the 7+ minute interview at Triple J. He’s back in Australia and has worked on the new songs with his band mates. Gleaned from the interview… the album currently comes off as “dirtier than Young Modern” (per Daniel), and there is a less frequent use of guitars so far (only on 4 of the 15 or so songs currently in the works).
Who knows how things will turn out, but I think we can expect a new Silverchair album in 2010. No album name yet… unless it’s gonna be called Fly Fishing. ;)
more Jónsi news
more Jónsi news… reposted from sigur-ros.co.uk…
jónsi’s debut solo album “go” will be released march 22nd 2010 in europe, march 23rd in usa. the album contains nine songs, most of which are sung in english, and was co-produced by jónsi, alex somers and peter katis (the national, interpol). jónsi will be embarking on an extensive world tour throughout 2010, of which more information will be annonced later.
“go” initally began as a low-key acoustic record, but, according to jónsi, “somewhere along the line it just sort of exploded”. the result is a joyful and dramatic album, featuring ecstatic string, brass and woodwind arrangements by composer nico muhly (antony & the johnsons, grizzly bear), as well as warmer, more melancholic moments.
in the coming weeks, jónsi’s official site www.jonsi.com will be updated with exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and videos of jónsi and collaborators making the record. in addition you can download the track “boy lilikoi” for free, and listen to samples from the album by clicking the “jónsi” letters. artwork on the site was created by jónsi’s sister inga birgisdóttir (press images for the album were shot by jónsi’s other sister lilja birgisdóttir).
“go” tracklist
go do
animal arithmetic
tornado
boy lilikoi
sinking friendships
kolnidur
grow till tall
around us
hengilas
Yay! A world tour, too!
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood – Remixolarians
no download or free torrent available here

new Kim Taylor… soon…

Recently featured on The Ghost Whisperer (a “TV show,” or so say my sources)… Cincinnati singer-songwriter Kim Taylor popped the news on her website yesterday that her follow-up to 2006’s I Feel Like a Fading Light will be out in a few weeks. It’ll be called Little Miracle, produced by Jimi Zhivago, and the first 100 downloaders will get “an added bonus.”
I’m hoping there’s also a physical release (or a repeat of the vinyl / different edition like she did for Fading Light).
The Album Leaf’s new album…
The Album Leaf is done recording and mixing their record in Iceland. Now back in San Diego, they are getting ready for a winter tour in support of the album, A Chorus of Storytellers, that comes out on February 2nd (2010) on Sub Pop.

They’ll be at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland on Feb 5th (per the club’s mailer)!! I missed their show this past winter (Jan ’09) due to busy season at work. Same situation this year, but I’m planning on going regardless of it. :) More tour dates will follow when they’re announced…
Radiohead / Zero 7 News

Ed O’Brien confirmed to NME that Radiohead will indeed be making a new album this winter to release in 2010. Read more over on At Ease…
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Zero 7 are also on the move, with a new album Yeah Ghost and a tour. I won’t be able to make it to their Portland stop, as it’s the same night as my work holiday party. Bah humbug!
No Tina Dico or Imogen Heap this time around. Zero 7’s live show features singer Eska (who appears on Yeah Ghost) and folk collaborator Olivia Chaney as well as long time band members Eddie Stevens, Robin Mullarkey and Tom Skinner.
The album can be pre-ordered via the Amazons:
North American Tour Dates:
- 11/26/09 Thu 9:30 Club Washington, DC
- 11/27/09 Fri Terminal 5 New York, NY
- 11/28/09 Sat House of Blues Boston, MA
- 11/29/09 Sun Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) Philadelphia, PA
- 12/02/09 Wed Club Soda Montreal, QC
- 12/03/09 Thu Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON
- 12/04/09 Fri Metro Chicago, IL
- 12/05/09 Sat Epic (formerly the Quest) Minneapolis, MN
- 12/07/09 Mon Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
- 12/08/09 Tue Belly Up Aspen, CO
- 12/11/09 Fri Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
- 12/12/09 Sat Showbox at the Market Seattle, WA
- 12/13/09 Sun Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
- 12/15/09 Tue The Warfield San Francisco, CA
- 12/16/09 Wed Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA
- 12/17/09 Thu House of Blues San Diego, CA
~Dan – np: Five O’clock People – Blame Taker EP

Tori Amos – Midwinter Graces

OK, so Tori Amos is putting out a holiday album. I really don’t like holiday albums. I can count on one finger-based peace sign how many contemporary artists’ holiday album that I like (Over the Rhine‘s Darkest Night of the Year & Monk‘s How Like a Winter). I say “contemporary artists’ holiday album” because I think Vince Guaraldi‘s falls into a different category whatsoever. With other artists I like, they tend to end up crap (Aimee Mann’s was dreadful) or bordering on boredom (Sufjan Stevens’ was passable and original but not something I’m pulling out a lot, Nellie McKay’s was in a similar bucket… the list could go on…). But it’s usually not the artist’s fault, it’s usually the material. Christmas music is just so laaaaaame most of the time. I don’t know…
With Tori Amos, I think it has the potential to go either way. I think she could maybe write some great original pieces, a la Over the Rhine, but she could also pile on the schlock a la Aimee Mann. My guess is that it’ll be middle of the road a la Sufjan & Nellie. The cover art looks cheesy as hell (see press release below).
Release date is November 10th. It’s available for pre-order over on the Amazons. So, we shall see soon enough…
Here’s the Official Press Release…
After nearly two decades writing and recording some of her generation’s most emotionally powerful music, Tori Amos will release her first seasonal album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10 via Universal Republic. A follow up to Tori’s critically acclaimed studio album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, Midwinter Graces will find Tori reworking and expanding on classic carols as well as developing some of her very own seasonal tracks.
Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine the classics.
Tracklist:
What Child, Nowell
Star of Wonder
A Silent Night with You
Candle: Coventry Carol
Holly, Ivy, and Rose
Harps of Gold
Snow Angel
Jeanette, Isabella
Pink and Glitter
Emmanuel
Winter’s Carol
Our New Year(click for larger)
So, yeah… we’ll see, eh?
Sufjan’s The BQE

So… I’ve heard the new CD from Sufjan Stevens, called The BQE. (Thanks Asthmatic Kitty for the pre-release download.) Wow. No vocals, but very much a Sufjan album, though. The instrumentation borders on classic Sufjan instrumentals from Illinoise and Michigan (specifically the flute trills) mixed with more conservative chamber music (piano, strings, horns, tympani, et al). It also jumps into a very Enjoy Your Rabbit moment with “Movement IV – Traffic Shock.”
AK DOWNLOAD: Sufjan Stevens – Movement VI–Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges (FREE MP3)
The BQE tracklist
- Prelude on the Esplanade (2:56)
- Introductory Fanfare for the Hooper Heroes (1:07)
- Movement I–In the Countenance of Kings (5:19)
- Movement II–Sleeping Invader (4:34)
- Interlude I–Dream Sequence in Subi Circumnavigation (3:33)
- Movement III–Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise (4:09)
- Movement IV–Traffic Shock (3:24)
- Movement V–Self-Organizing Emergent Patterns (3:45)
- Interlude II–Subi Power Waltz (0:28)
- Interlude III–Invisible Accidents (0:54)
- Movement VI–Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges (3:17)
- Movement VII (Finale)–The Emperor of Centrifuge (3:51)
- Postlude–Critical Mass (2:59)
I think it fits very well within Sufjan’s oeuvre. A fan of his instrumental tunes interspersed within his State’s records should truly enjoy The BQE. The limited edition, which is on order for me, has presumably a lush packaging with a full-color booklet accompanying the vinyl. I can’t wait to crack it open…

It’s available for pre-order from Amazon and Asthmatic Kitty (and other eTailers):
Amazon CD/DVD ~ LINK
Amazon limited edition vinyl ~ LINK
AKitty CD/DVD ~ LINK
AKitty limited edition vinyl ~ LINK
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And a complete side-note, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is planning releasing a Nick Drake-ish acoustic solo album (Blabbermouth link). Man, I love music. Seriously. Frank was right. It’s the best.
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
no free downloads or torrents here
Nellie McKay / Zappa Plays Zappa

More information about Nellie McKay‘s upcoming album… Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute To Doris Day (out October 13th). 13 songs, one new McKay song:
Tracklist:
- “The Very Thought of You” (Ray Noble)
- “Do Do Do” (George & Ira Gershwin)
- “Wonderful Guy” (Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein II)
- “Meditation” (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Norman Gimbel)
- “Mean to Me” (Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk)
- “Crazy Rhythm” (Joseph Meyer & Roger Wolfe Kahn / Irving Cesear)
- “Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown & Ben Homer / Bud Green)
- “If I Ever Had a Dream” (Nellie McKay)
- “Black Hills of Dakota” (Sammy Fain / Paul Francis Webster)
- “Dig It” (Hal Bourne, Johnny Mercer)
- “Send Me No Flowers” (Burt Bacharach / Hal David)
- “Close Your Eyes” (Bernice Petkere)
- “I Remember You” (Victor Schertzinger / Johnny Mercer)
It’ll be out on Verve Music Group. No cover art that I could find, yet…
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Dweezil & Co are hitting the road again. It’ll be my fourth time seeing them, once for each Zappa Plays Zappa tour. This time, yay, a Eugene date!! No official dates released yet on zappa.com (or on Pollstar as of now), but it looks like after the Progressive Nation tour with Dream Theater, they’re at least hitting Eugene (Saturday, November 28 at McDonald Theatre).
We are gearing up for a busy winter and spring so keep your ears peeled. Right now we’re planning spring tour dates and working on a new record. We’ll have a single (vinyl-only) on Shake It Records coming out this spring as part of their Dangerous Highway series, a tribute to Eddie Hinton. The A-Side is our take on the classic “Breakfast in Bed” made famous by Dusty Springfield. More news on that soon. The Drive By Truckers and Greg Dulli 45’s are out now (see 






















As reported on
The band’s lineup is as follows:

So, for Veteran’s Day, here’s some rock news from some… um… rock veterans?









