Tarantino - King of Soundtracks

Not everyone might agree with me on this, but I'll propose that Quentin Tarantino revolutionized the art of the soundtrack with his release of the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack. I could be mistaken by this, but as far as I know, he was the first to intersperse dialog taken from the movie between songs. Quentin also masterfully brings classic songs out of the past and reclaims them for the present. With the release of Death Proof, he's done it again. Take a walk done memory lane with me...

Who ever saw this movie coming? One minute movie making made sense and there was a lack of senseless violence, then... WHAM... here comes Reservoir Dogs. If you saw this before Pulp Fiction, your entire schema of movie watching had to be re-wired. If you decided to see it after Pulp Fiction, it was a little easier to comprehend. The story took more jumps and twists than a William Faulkner novel. The soundtrack was just as revolutionary. Woven into the story is Steven Wright in the background as a radio DJ on KBILLY - The Home of Rock, who plays much of the music featured on the soundtrack.

George Baker - Little Green Bag : Reservoir Dogs Soundtrack

Film Dialogue - Let's Get A Taco : Reservoir Dogs Soundtrack


This was the film that brought Tarantino into the public's consciousness and resuscitated John Travolta's acting career. After Pulp Fiction, there would be no going back. What's to say about this movie? The only way you haven't seen it is if you've been wandering around the Amazon jungle for the last 15 years. Go out and rent it tonight.


Dick Dale & The Del-Tones - Pumpkin & Honey Bunny (dialogue)/Miserlou : Pulp Fiction Soundtrack

Film Dialogue - Royale With Cheese : Pulp Fiction Soundtrack

This wasn't nearly as big a hit as previous films, but Jackie Brown still produced an enjoyable soundtrack. Although not completely blood free, this film sported must less violence than previous productions. Quentin takes a turn from the usual clasic rock and instead included a lot of Motown / Funk inspired music on this album.



The Delfonics - Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time : Jackie Brown Soundtrack

Film Dialogue - Melanie, Simone and Sheronda : Jackie Brown Soundtrack

And now available is the latest chapter: Death Proof, one half of a double release accompanying Planet Terror. I haven't seen the movie yet so I can't comment on its cinematic merit, but the soundtrack is just an enjoyable as previous releases.





April March - Chick Habit : Death Proof Soundtrack

Film Dialogue - Whatever-However : Death Proof Soundtrack

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Head here to win a copy of the soundtrack and a poster.

Egg-cellent

Here's hoping all of your Easter Egg hunts are successful beyond your wildest dreams!

The Essex Green - Rabbit : Cannibal Sea

Magnetic Fields - Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits : 69 Love Songs, Vol. 1

Monty Python - "A Foul-Tempered Rabbit" : Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - I'm Puttin' All My Eggs In One Basket : The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (Disc 2)

Son, let me tell you about the bird and the bee...

No, I'm not about to give you that talk one of your parents hopefully had with you when they realized puberty had hit and you were scoping out the other team. I'm talking about the duo of Inara George and Greg Kurstin, otherwise known as the bird and the bee.

Inara and Greg both bring strong musical backgrounds to this, their debut album. Inara is the daughter of Lowell George, frontman of the 70's southern rock band Little Feat, and she started her career playing in several bands in the Los Angeles area. Greg was a jazz piano prodigy and studied with Jaki Byard, best known as the pianist for Charles Mingus (famous hard bop jazz bassist and bandleader). The two put their heads together, with Inara focusing on vocals and Greg on the instrumentation. "Melodies would dictate chord progressions, or sometimes vice-versa, depending on where the vocal part wanted to go," recalls Inara. "The writing was almost improvised in nature."

With the album being put out be Blue Note Records, one would expect heavy jazz influences. Although there are some hints of Greg's early piano tutelage under Byard, the duo's music transcends the jazz genre boundaries. Inara's vocals sound delicate and sometimes, but not always, childlike. Many of the lyrics focus on relationships and loss, but the tone belies the unhappiness hinted at. Supporting her, and sweeping along the lyrics with sometimes organic, sometimes electronic arrangements, Kurstin adds a light touch with his melodies. The mixture of the two remind me very much of Au Revoir Simone's latest, The Bird of Music (which I've also been listening to lately and enjoying).

Their debut self-titled album was released back in January, and if you hurry, you can catch them on tour with Lily Allen.


the bird and the bee - Again & Again : the bird and the bee

the bird and the bee - I'm A Broken Heart : the bird and the bee

Visit their website, their label Blue Note Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Charles Mingus - Better Git Hit In Your Soul : Mingus Ah Um

Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song : The Bird of Music

Limbeck - Just Country Enough

Although I've been a Johnny Cash fan for quite a while, I tend to approach straight-up country music with some trepidation (although I wouldn't pigeon-hole Cash in this category - he's much more of a genre of his own). Sure I listened to Uncle Tupelo and Cracker back in the early 90's, but since then my boots haven't taken me down the alt-country road all that much. In the last year I've been taken in by Neko Case's music, but that's a story for another post.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let me get onto Limbeck. The band formed back in 1999 in Orange County, California and has since released a couple full length albums as well as some EP's and singles. On April 10th, the band is poised to release their third full length album, the self-titled Limbeck. Although classifiable as alt-country, instead of just sticking to the twangy cowboy sound, their album employs ukulele, bar chimes, vocoder, horns and strings to bolster the melodies. Sure there are a couple tracks that just scream "play me in a Ford F-150 with an extended cab and a shotgun rack in the back window," but there are also some tracks on the pop end of the spectrum as well. Although both tracks below fall inbetween, "Big Drag," the first track below, drifts toward F-150 country, and "Let's Get Crazy" appeals more to the top 40 crowd. Enjoy both and then pick up the album when it comes out on the 10th.


Limbeck - Big Drag : Limbeck

Limbeck - Let's Get Crazy : Limbeck


and here's one from their last release...

Limbeck - Let's Talk About the Weather : Big Drag

Visit their website, their label Doghouse Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

The band is kicking off a MASSIVE tour schedule. Head here to see if they're playing near you.

Full-time Fool

Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools : The Very Best Of Aretha Franklin


Beulah - Fooled With the Wrong Guy : Yoko


Cinderella - Nobody's Fool : Night Songs


Eleni Mandell - I've Been Fooled : Afternoon


Ludacris - Act A Fool : 2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack

(In the spirit of today, I was deviously thinking about having the links go to random places, or having one song's link download a different one, but common sense intervened when thinking about angry comments possibly being left.)

Mano a Mando Diao

Mando Diao first came together in 1995 in Borlange, Sweden. Talking about his hometown, Gustaf Noren (singer, songwriter, and guitarist) says, "Our town is dangerous and cold. It has the highest drug and murder rate of anyplace in Sweden. You had to be bad if you didn't want to get hit by some gang of fools in school. And if you could survive all that, then life became boring as well as dangerous." Gustaf's answer to this connundrum, gather up some of his friends and form a band.

Since then, they've released several albums and a handful of EPs. Their latest, Ode to Ochrasy, will be available April 24th. Below are a few tracks to give you a taste of the flavor of their high octane, Franz Ferdinand feel, crank it up loud type of rock and roll. Don't feel like waiting or paying $25 for the import, pick up their teaser EP Long Before Rock N Roll, available now.


Mando Diao - Welcome Home, Luc Robitaille : Ode to Ochrasy

Mando Diao - Tony Zoulias (Lustful Life) : Ode to Ochrasy

Mando Diao - Cinderella : Long Before Rock N Roll

Visit their website, their label EMI, and become their friend on MySpace.

Smile...for All Smiles

With the demise of Grandaddy last year, Jim Fairchild (former guitarist for the band) has set his own course to release his own album, Ten Readings Of A Warning, next month (the 24th to be precise) under the guise of All Smiles. The album features an assortment of guest drummers: Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse, Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Solon Bixler of Great Northern, and Danny Seim of Menomena, otherwise all of the instrumentation is handled by Jim.

In his previous incarnation as acoustic guitar guy, Jim got to strum and not much more. On this album, he gets to show off his musical chops: playing acoustic sure, but also tinkling the ebony and ivory (i.e. playing piano), as well as singing some tunes that have a down home feel to them that make it seem he's sitting in front of you. His vocal style and sound remind me a lot of Ben Kweller (which is a good thing).

The first track below, Summer Stay, has a wonderfully catchy chorus that snags you hook, line, and sinker. I guarantee you'll catch yourself singing along with Do Do Do....Do Do Do....Do Do Do Doooo. The second song, Of Course It's Not Up To Me, is a slower number that gives you a taste of Jim's piano playing.


All Smiles - Summer Stay : Ten Readings of A Warning

All Smiles - Of Course It's Not Up To Me : Ten Readings of A Warning

Grandaddy - Summer Here Kids : Under the Western Freeway

Visit his label Dangerbird Records and become his friend on MySpace.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
More songs to make you smile

Elastica - Smile : Elastica

Jeremy Enigk - Dare A Smile : World Waits

Josh Ritter - Bright Smile : Hello Starling

A Scandinavian Gem

For a debut production, part of which was recorded in a bedroom closet, Melankton (Norwegian for black rose) comes across as an incredibly bold, spirited, and well produced album. Also quite impressive is the fact that it was completely written by Kate Havnevik, even the string section pieces, which were eventually performed by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra.

How is such a impassioned album born? By age 13 Kate was composing piano pieces of her own. At 14 she decided to chart a different course as the guitar player for an all female punk rock band. Put the two together and you get Melankton.

Almost immediately upon hearing Kate's voice, you are reminded of another Scandinavian beauty - Bjork. Even looking at her picture one can see an uncanny resemblance between the two. Although the two voices carry similar hints, Kate's voice loses some of Bjork's childlike charm, instead conveying a more mature note.

Backing up Kate's crystalline voice is a sometimes soaring, sometimes dramatic, lush orchestral sound that weaves in and out of electronic effects without any sense of unnaturalness between the two (much like Moby) and indeed is danceable at some points.

Look for the complete album, which is due out March 27th. In the meantime, enjoy the following morsels:

Kate Havnevik - Unlike Me : Melankton

Kate Havnevik - Kaleidoscope : Melankton

Visit Kate's website, her label Universal Republic Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

Tricky (feat. Bjork) - Yoga : Nearly God

...And the new Page France

While everyone has been proclaiming their excitement concerning the release of the new Arcade Fire album Neon Bible (which amazingly is already available on eMusic - for which many kudos should be given to the band and Merge Records), I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Page France's new album ...And the Family Telephone, scheduled to be released May 8th.

This release, the group's third, show's much more growth and maturation compared to their development between their first and second. Don't get me wrong, I loved both, but their newest flaunts more instrumental intricacies and just more oomph in general to back up Michael Nau's distinctive vocal range. As much as you can say this about any Page France songs, there are a few on this album that really rock out! Although I'm still undecided about whether it's for the best or not, gone also are many of the biblical allusions so evident in the group's previous releases. Instead Michael is celebrating animals of all shapes and sizes with songs like Hat and Rabbit, Pigeons, The Belly In the Fish, and many others (I was prepared for a song about Noah's Ark at the end of it all).

I've had the disc on heavy rotation since I got in earlier this week and I really can't say enough good things about it. If you've liked Page France's previous albums, you're really going to enjoy this one. While you're waiting for its release, let the following songs satisfy your hankerings.

Page France - Hat and Rabbit : ...And the Family Telephone

Page France - Wet Dog Afternoon : ...And the Family Telephone

Page France - Who Cracked Your Egg? : Tomato Morning Tour EP

Visit their website, their label Suicide Squeeze Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Check out the gang on tour:

03-21 San Diego, CA - Che Café
03-23 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord
03-26 Portland, OR - Doug Fir
03-27 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
03-28 Boise, ID - Neurolux
03-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
03-30 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
03-31 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
04-02 Fargo, ND - Aquarium
04-03 Duluth, MN - University of Minnesota
04-04 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
04-05 Milwaukee, WI - Stonefly Brewery
04-06 Champaign, IL - Cowboy Monkey
04-07 Chicago, IL - Schubas
04-09 Lexington, KY - Mecca Stuido
04-10 Gambier, OH - Kenyon College
04-11 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
04-12 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
04-13 New York, NY - Pianos
04-14 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
04-15 Boston, MA - Middle East Upstairs

Happy Pi Day!

Although it's probably not marked on many of your calendars, today is international Pi Day! No, I'm not talking about apple pie, pumpkin pie, or even banana cream pie; I'm talking about pi, that seemingly never ending string of digits that starts out 3.14159 and is part of the relationship between a circle's diameter and circumference.

Rock on all you math geeks out there!

Don McLean - American Pie - Parts I & II : Rock Is Dead, But It Won't Lie Down

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Petootie Pie : Vocal Duets

Warrant - Cherry Pie : Cherry Pie

Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie : Physical Graffiti

Win a Porsche!

OK, so maybe I'm not giving away a Porsche, but you can go here if you're looking to win one.

Over the last week I've posted up two contests; one for Let's Go Sailing's debut album (which two people have entered) and the other for a collection of three albums including Albert Hammond Jr., Robbers On High Street's EP and a Midnight Movies' 7" (which no one has entered).What troubles me about this is that many many people have downloaded songs from both posts, yet only two people actually would like copies of the albums.

Frankly, this confuses me somewhat. I'm not sure if no one is actually reading anything other than the links to the songs (maybe I should camouflage them within the text), or they just don't care enough to get real copies of the albums because they feel they can just download it for free from here and there. I assume that if they're downloading the songs they enjoy the songs and don't have the album already.

I mean, they're free CD's ... and we're not talking about Columbia House music club free CD's. There aren't any hidden costs. I'm not offering the albums for free but charging $5.99 for shipping and handling with an obligation to buy 10 more at full price.

Can anyone out there help me understand?

They Might Be Giants - I Don't Understand You : Apollo 18

Tanya Donelly - Mysteries of the Unexplained : Lovesongs for Underdogs

Liz Phair - Explain It To Me : Exile in Guyville

Muddy Waters - I Don't Know Why : The London Muddy Waters Sessions

The Swede strikes again

Just released Wednesday: Kristoffer Ragnstam's latest full length album Sweet Bills. You might recall me sharing my thoughts on his last EP, Do You Want A Piece of Me (read about it here), the teaser for fans waiting for Sweet Bills' release.

For those of you not familiar with Kristoffer's handy work, get ready for music that shifts speeds and styles faster than you can say "I Saw the Sign."


Kristoffer Ragnstam - Man Overboard : Sweet Bills

Kristoffer Ragnstam - If This Is Life! : Sweet Bills

Kristoffer Ragnstam - Beauty : Do You Want A Piece of Me EP (available on iTunes)

Visit his website, his label Bluhammock, and become his friend on MySpace.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
If you haven't already entered to win Let's Go Sailing's debut release and T-shirt, go here and if you're feeling really lucky head this way to win a 3 pack of albums (Albert Hammond Jr., Robbers On High Street, and Midnight Movies).