Radiohead - In Rainbows (New Album out October 10th)

Here's the deal...I had heard that Radiohead's new album was close to being finished. I also knew that they were currently without a record deal for said album. There has also been some weird stuff about them on the Internet last week. First there was this, which is some crypted message posted on their website. Then this and this, apparently a new website about their 7th album which ended up being someones big joke. Finally, straight from their official website is this message:

Hello everyone.Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days;We've called it In Rainbows. Love from us all.Jonny

You can now preorder the album here. The oddest part is you can preorder a download of it now and name your own price. That's right...you can choose how much you want to pay for the download of it. You will be sent an email code that you can use on the 10th to get the mp3's of the new record. If you want to get the cd's of it you will have to pay quite a bit (40 pounds...which I think works out to be over $80 American dollars) and they will not be shipped until December. If you get the cd's though you will get the downloads on the 10th of October as well. Here is what comes with the "discbox":

THIS CONSISTS OF THE NEW ALBUM, IN RAINBOWS, ON CD AND ON 2 X 12 INCH HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL RECORDS.A SECOND, ENHANCED CD CONTAINS MORE NEW SONGS, ALONG WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK.THE DISCBOX ALSO INCLUDES ARTWORK AND LYRIC BOOKLETS.ALL ARE ENCASED IN A HARDBACK BOOK AND SLIPCASE.THE ALBUM DOWNLOAD AUTOMATICALLY COMES WITH THIS PACK

So....get to it!!!!

Shows This Week: 10/01-10/07

10/01 Do Make Say Think @ The Record Bar
10/02 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ The Uptown Theater
10/03 Midlake/Minus Story @ The Jackpot Saloon
10/03 Black Lips @ The Grand Emporium
10/04 Girl Talk @ The Granada
10/05 Klaxons/Ghosty @ The Bottleneck
10/05 Low/Charlie Parr @ The Record Bar

Show Review: Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem

9/28/07 Starlight Theatre, Kansas City

What I expected to be the best concert in a long time did not disappoint. The last time Arcade Fire came through town, they played the Jackpot, which has a capacity of around 250, in December of 2004. Since then the band has essentially taken over the indie-rock world. There about as big as a band can get with little to no radio airplay (at least in KC). Although Arcade Fire didn't fill the 8,000 seat Starlight Theatre, they did have a great turnout. From the very opening note of 'Black Mirror' I was mesmerized. They have 10+ people on stage but at no time did the songs sound cluttered at all. They truly showed why many consider them to be THE best live band around right now. Some highlights included the Magnetic Fields' cover 'Born On A Train' and, of course, the two song end to their set which consisted of 'Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)' and 'Rebellion (Lies)'.

The pairing of Arcade Fire's epic rock show with the punk-dance of LCD Soundsystem seemed to be an odd one when the tour was first announced, but ended up working quite nicely together. LCD Soundsystem live show was truly impressive. Their sound worked great in a live band format, maybe even better than it does on disc.

I can't really say too much more about this show. If you were there, you know how great it was. If you didn't make it, you missed one of the best shows in the Kansas City area in a few years.

Arcade Fire Setlist: Black Mirror, Keep the Car Running, Laika, No Cars Go, Haiti, In the Backseat, Born on a Train, Intervention, Antichrist Television Blues, The Well and the Lighthouse, Tunnels, Power Out, Rebellion
Encore: Crown of Love, Wake Up

LCD Soundsystem Setlist: Us vs. Them, Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, Time To Get Away, North American Scum, All My Friends, Someone Great, Tribulations, Yeah, New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down.

Arcade Fire Myspace
LCD Soundsystem Myspace

Random YouTubes: Tom Waits

First is a live performance from 1977 of 'Tom Traubert's Blues':

This is Tom's video for 1985's 'Downtown Train' (which you might recognize from Rod Stewart ruining some years later):

Finally, Christmas comes a little early as Tom performs 'Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis' sandwiched between his rendition of 'Silent Night':

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

Last year at the Austin City Limits festival I had the chance to see Iron & Wine live for the first time. My exposure to them was 2004's excellent Our Endless Numbered Days and the equally impressive Woman King EP. I was curious how these stripped down acoustic tunes would translate to a festival crowd and I was a bit skeptical that it would be the right atmosphere for such a show (especially considering I chose to see them over Kings of Leon and Explosions in the Sky, who both played at the same time as I&W). Surprisingly the show was exceptionally upbeat and more of a complete band feel rather than just a guy and a guitar. Touring with a full band obviously influenced their newest album, The Shepherd's Dog, which came out today on Sub Pop. Iron & Wine's brilliant 2005 collaboration with Calexico, Into The Reins, was clearly a big influence on this fuller sound as well. Never before has Iron & Wine made such an immediately engaging album. Their first albums were comprised mostly of guitar, vocals and Sam Beam's exceptional songwriting. This time the songwriting is still there but the music is much more interesting than before. Rather than being a late-night/early-morning type album, The Shepherd's Dog flirts with afro-pop, dub reggae and southwestern sounds. It's their most accessible album to date and will satisfy any previous Iron & Wine fans and most likely it will make a lot of new ones.

Iron & Wine Myspace

Playlist Updated

I updated the playlist at the bottom of my page. New songs by Iron & Wine, Kevin Drew, Animal Collective, Film School, Panda Bear, Andrew Bird and more.

Andrew Bird Opening For Wilco

Even though he just recently came through Lawrence (read my review here), I am very excited to find out that Andrew Bird will be opening up for Wilco at The Crossroads on October 13th. If you haven't bought tickets yet you can purchase them from The Crossroads website.

Wilco Myspace
Andrew Bird Myspace

Shows This Week: 9/24-9/30

Here are a couple of concert recommendations for this week:

9/25 The Melvins @ The Bottleneck
9/26 The Weakerthans @ The Bottleneck
9/27 Holly Golightly @ The Jackpot Saloon
9/28 Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem @ Starlight Theatre
9/30 Oakley Hall/The 1900s @ The Jackpot Saloon

Spoon Show Cancelled

The October 3rd Spoon show at Liberty Hall in Lawrence has been cancelled. I'm not sure why but Liberty Hall's website says so. The website also says the show will be rescheduled in Spring of 2008. Now everyone can see a much better show scheduled the same night: Midlake at the Jackpot with locals Minus Story opening.

Upcoming Show: The Brunettes

If you're looking for something to do this Friday night, a New Zealand band called The Brunettes will be playing at the Record Bar. They're a lot of fun live and worth checking out. Here is a creepy video for my favorite song on their new album. The song is called 'Her Hairagami Set' and the album is Structure and Cosmetics.

Concert Announcement: Hip Hop Live Tour w/ Ghostface Killah, Rakim and Brother Ali

11/10/07 Beaumont Club, Kansas City

Again, thanks to Pollstar, we found that the Hip-Hop tour of the year is making a stop in Kansas City at the Beaumont Club on November 10th. Already legends in their own right Ghostface Killah (the most consistently talented member of the Wu-Tang Clan) and Rakim (of hip-hop pioneers Eric B. & Rakim) will join force to head up a pretty stellar line-up. Opener Brother Ali hails from Minneapolis and is signed to Atmosphere's Rhymesayers label. Brother Ali can also lay claim to the fact that he is arguably one of the best new MC's in hip-hop and continues in the old school tradition helped started by Rakim. To top the whole tour off, all of the artists will be backed by the ten-piece outfit The Rhythm Roots All-Stars. This could be the show of the year if you are a fan of the art of MCing, since all three are masters of the craft. Longtime KC hero, Tech N9ne will also appear at the Kansas City date.

Ghostface Killah Myspace

Rakim Myspace

Brother Ali Myspace

Concert Announcement: Chris Cornell

11/17/07 Uptown Theater, Kansas City

I kind of forgot that this summer Chris Cornell put out another solo album, Carry On. I will get around to hearing eventually but after reading a few reviews, I'm not in any hurry. Even if you consider one uneven first solo album (1999's Euphoria Morning) and the crap he's done in the past five years (Audioslave), I still would recommend seeing him sing live. He's got one of the best all-time voices in rock music and possibly hearing a Soundgarden or Temple of the Dog song would be enough to get me there. According to Pollstar he's coming to the Uptown Theater on Saturday, November 17th. It's gotta be better than seeing the remainder of Alice in Chains there with no Layne Staley.

Chris Cornell Myspace

Upcoming Shows: Arcade Fire @ Starlight Theatre 9/28

Just to get anyone who is going excited, and to convince anyone who hasn't already bought tickets to get them soon.

Show Review: Andrew Bird/Le Loup

09/17/07 The Granada, Lawrence

Andrew Bird's show last night at The Granada ended up being a pretty intimate affair. Usually Andrew is joined by percussionist/keyboardist Martin Dosh, but he wasn't able to make the show. The performance definitely suffered a bit as all the songs were much more stripped down then the full, orchestral sound found on his albums. Andrew uses loops and samples to create his sound live, playing every instrument on stage for each song. Although the absence of Dosh was evident, Andrew still was able to be surprisingly engaging. It was very interesting to see him working so hard to lay down the violin and other parts before grabbing his guitar to fill out each song. I was a little disappointed to not hear the lush sounds found on his records, but the reason I was a bit let down might be the same reason someone else was blown away by the show. Overall, it was a good performance though.


The opening band, Le Loup, hail from Washington DC and they stole the show for me. I wasn't very familiar with their music before, I had only heard a couple of songs on their Myspace page and read a few reviews of their album, the unfortunately titled The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly. They reminded me of Arcade Fire live; there are seven members on stage and at any time five or six of them were all singing at once. The choir-like vocals along with a loud and grand sound is definitely what made me think of Arcade Fire. I hope to catch these guys sometime in the future playing a headlining show, because I wasn't ready for them to be done playing when they were. Le Loup made what would have been a mildly disappointing show into one I was glad I made the trip to Lawrence for.

Concert Announcement: The Cure

05/19/08 Starlight Theatre, Kansas City

Sure, it's over eight months away but it's still worthy news...I mean, it is The Cure. So mark your calenders and break out your eyeliner because no matter how mediocre their last albums have been, they did release Disintegration.

Concert Announcement: Meat Puppets

11/07/07 The Bottleneck, Lawrence

Just in case you missed their show last month at The Record Bar, (unfortunately I did) the legendary Kirkwood brothers will be back in the area in November. This time they will be returning to The Bottleneck. I'm not a huge fan of their new album, Rise To Your Knees, but I will definitely be making the drive to Lawrence to check them out this time. The fact they are coming back through so quickly probably has to do with the fact that their newest record was released by the KC-based label Anodyne Records. If you aren't familiar with the Meat Puppets you probably have heard at least a few of their songs (especially if you own Nirvana's Unplugged album).

Meat Puppets Myspace

Kanye West - Graduation

I have recently came to the realization that I have been a Kanye West apologist for some time now. People always rip on him for his enormous ego, his diva-like rants, and his cartoonish public image. I have no problem admitting that all those complaints are perfectly valid; he is a jackass and completely full of himself, without a doubt. I think that people tend to let his personality get in their way as far as enjoying his albums go. The fact is that since his debut album, College Dropout, he has been the only consistently great hip-hop artist in the music business.

All my old favorites have severely fallen off. Mos Def has apparently quit the rap game, or at least quit releasing anything worth listening to. Talib Kweli hasn't put out anything good since 2002's appropriately titled Quality. Outkast's last two albums have been patchy at best with 2006's soundtrack to Idlewild being borderline unlistenable. Finally, Common has fallen off the most with his last great album being 2000's Like Water For Chocolate. It is hard for someone like me, who use to absolutely LOVE hip-hop music, to find anything in the genre anymore that actually warrants repeat listens. Except, that is, for Kanye West.

Say what you want but Kanye is the best producer in hip-hop right now. Even though his production has been captivating since album one, he grew by leaps and bounds on both albums since. His greatest production thus far is front and center on this year's hip-hop album of the year (so far), Graduation. Apparently Kanye has discovered synthesizers recently, because they are all over this one. The beats aren't as flashy and immediate as they are on his first two records, but they are still as brilliant as ever. Even the track 'Homecoming' with Chris Martin from Coldplay works very well. I guess Kanye has a talent at making very "uncool" artists seem remarkable "cool" (see Maroon 5's Adam Levine on 'Heard 'Em Say' from 2005's Late Registration). Now granted, Kanye is an average MC at best. His flow is choppy and awkward most of the time. His lyrics however are, for the most part, clever and actually interesting, which is hard to find in hip-hop music today. Love him or hate him, if you are a fan of the genre Kanye West may be the savior of hip-hop music.

Pitchfork Gives Music A 6.8

The Onion: Pitchfork Gives Music A 6.8

CHICAGO—Music, a mode of creative expression consisting of sound and silence expressed through time, was given a 6.8 out of 10 rating in an review published Monday on Pitchfork Media, a well-known music-criticism website.

According to the review, authored by Pitchfork editor in chief Ryan Schreiber, the popular medium that predates the written word shows promise but nonetheless "leaves the listener wanting more."

"Music's first offering, an eclectic, disparate, but mostly functional compendium of influences from 5000 B.C. to present day, hints that this trend's time may not only have fully arrived, but is already on the wane," Schreiber wrote. "If music has any chance of keeping our interest, it's going to have to move beyond the same palatable but predictable notes, meters, melodies, tonalities, atonalities, timbres, and harmonies."

Schreiber's semi-favorable review, which begins in earnest after a six-paragraph preamble comprising a long list of baroquely rendered, seemingly unrelated anecdotes peppered with obscure references, summarizes music as a "solid but uninspired effort."

"Coming in at an exhausting 7,000 years long, music is weighed down by a few too many mid- tempo tunes, most notably 'Liebesträume No. 3 in A flat' by Franz Liszt and 'Closing Time' by '90s alt-rock group Semisonic," Schreiber wrote. "In the end, though music can be brilliant at times, the whole medium comes off as derivative of Pavement."

While Schreiber concedes that music is still "trying to find its aesthetic," he also claims the form has not yet lived up to the lavish praise heaped on it by pop culture journalist Chuck Klosterman and 19th-century French romantic composer and critic Hector Berlioz, among others.
Schreiber concludes his critique by calling on music to develop a more cohesive sound in its future releases.

"We can only hope that [music] will begin to grow with its fans over the next few millennia," Schreiber said. "If it can stick to what it does well, namely the song 'Peg' by Steely Dan, and Tuvan throat singing, then a sophomore effort will indeed be something to get excited about."

The review has split the music community, with many decrying Pitchfork's lukewarm reception of music as a contrarian move designed to propel the publication's tastemaker status.

"It's elitism for the sake of elitism," said Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, who refuted Pitchfork's middling rating, describing the entire art form as "transcendent." "I've been listening to music for over 30 years, and it's consistently some of the best stuff out there."

Despite music's defenders, the Pitchfork review has made a deep impression on the thousands of music fans who slavishly follow the website's advice when it comes to enjoying things.

"Music used to be great, but let's be honest, it's a 6.8 now at best," said Los Angeles resident Lowell Radler, 23, who admitted that he just looked at the rating rather than reading the whole review. "I seriously might never listen to music again."

Still, most analysts agreed that the impact of Pitchfork's scathing review of music will be dampened by the 2.4 rating it received from Pitchfork staff writer Dave Maher just moments after the initial critique was published online. Maher termed Schreiber's assessment of music "overwrought, masturbatory posturing intended to make insecure hipsters feel as if they're part of some imagined elite beau monde."

100 Greatest Albums of the 90's: 20-1

<<<<<Previous 20 (40-21)


This is the final installment, from number 20 down through number 1. Of course, there is no scientific method to this list, just my opinion. But I am almost always right so....here it is:

20. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head (1992)

Although Paul's Boutique is still my favorite Beastie's album ever, it was released in '89 and thus does not qualify. Check Your Head is their first time to incorporate punk and funk into their music and not just samples.

Favorite Songs: Pass the Mic, So What'cha Want, Professor Booty

19. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

This can be quite a polarizing album. I have heard a friend describe it as the indie-rock version of Sgt. Pepper and another friend describe Jeff Mangum's lyrics as bad high school poetry. Perhaps the best description I have heard is a marching band of an acid trip. Either way it is one of the most breathtaking pieces of music of the decade.


Favorite Songs: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Oh Comely, Untitled (track 10)

18. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

This album, Wu-Tang's debut, captured lightning in a bottle. This is the only Wu album that truly lives up to all the individual talent featured in the group. 36 Chambers also marked the rebirth of the East coast rap scene.

Favorite Songs: Bring Da Ruckus, C.R.E.A.M., Method Man

17. Elliott Smith - either/or (1997)

Even though Elliott expanded his sound quite a bit on his third album, most of it is still very intimate and heartbreakingly beautiful. either/or is probably most famous for spawning a few tracks on the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting (which in turn led to Elliott awkwardly performing at The Grammys alongside Celine Dion, yikes!).

Favorite Songs: Between the Bars, Angeles, Say Yes

16. Nas - Illmatic (1994)

If you have read any press on this album before, most of it is true. This is the only great Nas album and everything that followed his debut was severely lacking. Some of the greatest storytelling lyrics are found of Illmatic along with stellar production from Q-Tip, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier.

Favorite Songs: N.Y. State of Mind, Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park), One Love

15. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1993)

One of the most consistent "alt-rock" albums of the decade, Siamese Dream is Billy Corgan's masterpiece. This album strengths lie in the production of Butch Vig (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and a member of Garbage). The legacy of this album is extremely tainted for me because of the royal douchebag that Billy Corgan has become.

Favorite Songs: Cherub Rock, Rocket, Mayonnaise

14. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

My Bloody Valentine's best moment on record has created an odd legacy (apparently recording lasted two years and nearly bankrupted their label in the process) and a cult following of fans that insist that Loveless is the greatest album ever made. Although I don't agree with that sentiment, there aren't any albums that equaled the swirling noise-pop that is found here.

Favorite Songs: Only Shallow, To Here Knows When, When You Sleep

13. Outkast - Aquemini (1998)

Even though Aquemini solidified Outkast as the greatest hip-hop act in the business, listening to it now only makes me sad that they might never again create anything like this again. Regardless of what Outkast is doing now, Aquemini is one of the best rap albums of the decade and maybe of all-time.

Favorite Songs: Aquemini, Da Art of Storytellin' Pt. 1, Spottieottiedopaliscious

12. Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

Although many will say it's blasphemy that this isn't number one (or even the highest Radiohead album on the list), I stand by it's place on this list. Radiohead delivered what was the second in a string of three nearly flawless albums. More intricate and ambitious than The Bends, but ultimately, not as satisfying.

Favorite Songs: Subterranean Homesick Alien, Let Down, Lucky

11. Tool - Aenima (1996)

After the mesmerizing Undertow, Tool did the obvious next step, which was to release the greatest Prog-Metal album of all time. Every song on this album hits, and even the more abrasive songs fit neatly in place. If you don't like this album you just don't like rock music.

Favorite Songs: Eulogy, Forty-Six & 2, Aenima

10. Pearl Jam - Vs. (1993)

This album may have been so high on the list due to sentimental reasons. Pearl Jam was the first band that I followed I followed from their first album up until today. Not to take anything away from Vs. because it's still a great album and definitely their most consistent and powerful.

Favorite Songs: Go, Rearview Mirror, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town

9. Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)

Depeche Mode's Violator almost didn't make this list at all due to the fact that I just assumed it was released in the late 80's. In fact, if this came out in '89 instead of '90 I would still consider it one of the ten best albums of that decade. This is the greatest album ever to come out of the synth-pop genre and nothing even comes close.

Favorite Songs: World in My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence

8. Public Enemy - Fear of A Black Planet (1990)

The greatest hip-hop album of the 90's, without a doubt. If you disagree I am sorry to inform you that you're wrong. Public Enemy continued to be a driving political force (Chuck D called them the black CNN) and Fear of A Black Planet finds the Bomb Squads best production work ever.

Favorite Songs: 911 Is A Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Burn Hollywood Burn, Fight the Power

7. Elliott Smith - XO (1998)

Elliott's major label debut finds him continuing to fill out his sound. This time his still perfect melodies are wrapped in a richer sound that has a strong Beatles feel to it. Some of the best tunes Elliott ever penned are here and although his following albums are great too, this was the greatest album he ever released.

Favorite Songs: Sweet Adeline, Waltz #2 (XO), Pitseleh

6. U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

U2's studio follow-up to one of the greatest albums of the 80's (The Joshua Tree) found them doing the kiss-of-death for most bands: reinventing their sound. Any other band would have failed miserably but U2 instead recorded a masterpiece of an album that had an definite European sound to it rather than the American influenced music they had previously perfected.

Favorite Songs: One, Until the End of the World, The Fly, Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

5. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)

If you discovered The Flaming Lips after 2002's wonderful, left-field mainstream hit Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and haven't delved into their back catalog, please do so now. If you do you will discover the greatest album they ever made, The Soft Bulletin. The Lips abandoned their own odd brand of guitar rock for a more synth-heavy and almost orchestral sound. The lyrics are still weird yet some of the most intense and personal Wayne Coyne ever wrote. The music is lush, gorgeous, and perfect. An absolutely flawless album.

Favorite Songs: Race For The Prize, The Spark That Bled, Buggin', Waiting For Superman

4. Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

Some say that Jeff Buckley's early death a few years after the release of his debut (and only proper album), Grace, made this album seem better than it was. It's a moot point though, because it's useless to discuss what might have been if this genius had survived. Jeff Buckley's voice is one of the best in modern music and carries this album the whole way. Couple that with great songwriting and a few amazing covers and you have one of the greatest debuts in history and an artifact of what could have been.

Favorite Songs: Grace, Last Goodbye, Lover You Should've Come Over, Hallelujah

3. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... (1996)

This is another one that scores so high for a couple of reasons. First off, it is a genius record and a one-of-a-kind that is too often poorly imitated. Secondly, this album changed the way I listened to music. Recorded almost completely with samples, DJ Shadow created a tripped out masterpiece with an emphasis in hip-hop. I can't even begin to try and really describe this album so if you have never heard it, do yourself a favor and pick it up as fast as you can. You can thank me later.

Favorite Songs: Building Steam With A Grain of Salt, Stem/Long Stem, Changeling, Midnight in a Perfect World

2. Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger (1991)

When previously showing this list to friends, this was the pick that raised the most eyebrows. Yet I still strongly believe that this is one of the greatest hard-rock albums ever made. The songs are their most consistent and crushing and Chris Cornell's voice is still one of the best in rock music. My favorite quote about Cornell is from Henry Rollins who said, to paraphrase, that when Chris sang you could watch the paint peel off the walls. Unfortunately Soundgarden broke up long before their time and Cornell went to front the incredibly mediocre Audioslave. Fuck a Rage Against the Machine reunion...I want a Soundgarden reunion.

Favorite Songs: Rusty Cage, Outshined, Jesus Christ Pose, Somewhere

1. Radiohead - The Bends (1995)

I know I may be in the minority but I feel this is far and away the best album of Radiohead's career and the greatest album of the 1990's. Every note is perfect, every song is captivating, and every indecipherable line sung by Thom Yorke's is beautiful. The Bends is Radiohead's guitar-rock masterpiece. The songs go from sad ('Fake Plastic Trees') to haunting ('Street Spirit') to just downright pummeling ('Just'). It pains me to think that everything they release ever again will pale in comparison to this, but thus is the tragedy of an album as great as The Bends.

Favorite Songs: Planet Telex, High and Dry, Nice Dream, Just, Black Star, Sulk, Steet Spirit (Fade Out)

The Hipster Olympics

This is great...

Concert Announcement: Gogol Bordello

10/31/07 Liberty Hall, Lawrence

Wow, what a day for concert announcements, and this might be the best one of all three. Gogol Bordello plays a unique brand of "Gypsy-Punk", and although I hate that term it definitely best describes their music (they did title their first album Gypsy Punks so I guess they don't mind it). Their albums only hint at what they are capable of live and seeing them on Halloween night at Liberty Hall might make this one of the shows of the year. A must-see for sure.

Here is just a taste of what you might get on Halloween night:

Gogol Bordello Myspace

Concert Announcement: Atmosphere

10/25/07 The Granada, Lawrence

It seems like it's been a couple of years since Minneapolis underground hip-hop legends Atmosphere have made their way through town. They will be playing at The Granada on October 25th and they always put on an impressive show (no matter how weak their last couple of albums have been).

If you are an Atmosphere fan and have never heard of Deep Puddle Dynamics, please check out their only album, The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel? It's a true underground classic from 1999 featuring Slug (Atmosphere), DoseOne (Anticon, Clouddead, Them, Subtle), Sole (Anticon), and Alias (Anticon).

Also, if you're in Lawrence tonight, fellow Rhymesayers artist P.O.S. will be playing at The Bottleneck.

Atmosphere Myspace

Concert Announcement: The Polyphonic Spree

10/20/07 The Granada, Lawrence

After cancelling their show this summer at The Crossroads, The Polyphonic Spree will make their way back into town when they play The Granada on October 20th. I've never seen them live before but I've heard it's quite an experience.

The Polyphonic Spree Myspace

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Here are some random (yet awesome) videos for your Labor Day Weekend:


TV on the Radio with Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) performing TV on the Radio's 'Dreams':

Arcade Fire with David Bowie performing 'Wake Up':

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Elvis Costello, and Steven Van Zandt covering The Clash's 'London Calling' at The 2003 Grammy's shortly after the death of Joe Strummer. Sorry the quality on this one is so bad, it's the only one I could find.