Bob Mould

Although I'm guessing that the majority of people you might poll on the street have no idea who Bob Mould is, it's impossible to follow the development of indie and alternative music in the 80's and 90's without his name coming into the picture. At the turn of the 80's Mould was involved with what was then a hardcore punk band, Husker Du, which would later turn a little easier (don't most of us in old age?) and melodic as their art evolved. The band was one of the first underground band to sign on to a major label (beginning what now feels like that age old debate over selling out), although they never enjoyed any real commercial stardom. The band's influence has always belied record sales though.

When they band dissolved over internal issues, Mould went on to record some solo work, form the clearly alternative band Sugar, return to performing solo work, take a spin at electronica in the late 90's, and then return to solo work more reminiscent of his earlier material. Which brings us up to the present day. Or should I say the present day about a week ago, when Mould released his latest album, District Line, on February 5th.

The album cuts a clear path back to Mould's classic sound. Present, of course, is his distinctive voice - seemingly out of tone at points, yet still harmoniously flowing with the music. The album carries hints of that also just as distinctive 90's alternative sound, almost a reprise of sorts of his material from that period. I'll be honest with you - there's nothing really new here. What there is is an album of solid material which will prove Mould's experience, remind you of his craftsmanship, and show you one of the many stepping stones today's music has taken to get here.


Bob Mould - Again and Again : District Line

Bob Mould - The Silence Between Us : District Line

Visit his website, his label Anti-, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Bob Mould - Can't Fight It : No Alternative

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Tour Dates

5 March Minneapolis MN First Ave
6 March Milwaukee MN Shank Hall
7 March Chicago IL Metro
8 March Cleveland OH Grog
10 March Toronto ON Mod Club
12 March Boston MA Paradise
13 March New York City NY Fillmore
14 March Philadelphia PA Trocadero
15 March Washington DC 9:30 Club
17 March Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
18 March Atlanta GA Variety
20 March Austin TX Antone's
22 March Boulder CO Fox Theatre
24 March San Diego CA Belly Up
25 March Los Angeles CA El Rey
26 March San Francisco CA Great American Music Hall
28 March Portland OR Doug Fir
29 March Seattle WA Neumo's
30 March Vancouver BC Richard's

Rave on Raveonettes

It really should come as no surprise that I was super-stoked to get my hands on a copy of The Raveonettes newest project, Lust Lust Lust, which is coming out on the 19th. Considering the fact that just in the last few months I've compared other bands to them here and here and love to post tunes from them whenever I have a good excuse, posting on their newest release was a given.

LustX3 is another filling helping of that dark drenched retro reverbed sound which we've all come to love from Sune and Sharin. There's no reason to re-invent the wheel when it spins this good. And there's still no question that they're the best thing to come out of Denmark since the breakfast danish.

Completely unconnected to MISB, you can have a chance to win an autographed guitar from the band over here.

The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me : Lust Lust Lust

The Raveonettes - Dead Sound : Lust Lust Lust

(watch the video)

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

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The Raveonettes - I Wanna Be Taken : Pretty In Black (Import)

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Upcoming Tour Dates

02-29 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
03-01 Pomona, CA @ Glasshouse
03-02 Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
03-04 LA, CA @ El Rey Theatre
03-05 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
03-07 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
03-08 Vancouver, BC, CAN @ The Plaza Niteclub
03-09 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
03-12 - 03-16 Austin, TX @ SXSW
03-17 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
03-18 Chicago, IL @ Double Door
03-19 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
03-21 Toroto, ON, CAN @ Opera House
03-22 Montreal, QC, CAN @ Les Saint
03-23 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
03-24 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
03-27 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
03-28 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar
03-29 Washington, DC @ Black Cat

Sunday Soul - Stax singles

If you haven't entered my contest for a copy of Angie Stone's latest album The Art of Love & War (on Stax records coincidentally!), head here and enter now.

Here's a couple various older Stax singles for you to enjoy. From my jukebox to yours...


Eddie Floyd - On A Saturday Night : On A Saturday Night 7"

Eddie Floyd - Under My Nose : On A Saturday Night 7" B-side


Johnnie Taylor - Who's Makin' Love : Who's Makin' Love 7"

Johnnie Taylor - Take Care of Your Homework : Who's Makin' Love 7" B-side


Sam & Dave - Soul Man : Soul Man 7"

Sam & Dave - May I Baby : Soul Man 7" B-side


Get all the Stax singles in The Complete Stax/Volt Singles: Vol. 1: 1959-1968, Vol. 2: 1968-1971, and Vol. 3: 1972-1975 box sets.

Sunday Spotlight - Miwa Gemini

Welcome to the newest volume in the Sunday Spotlight series. Today it is my pleasure to introduce Japanese born Miwa Gemini, who's set to release her second full length album, This Is How I Found You, here in the States. Besides adding her lovely voice to the nine songs on the album, she also plays banjo, mandolin, and piano (which she was originally classically trained to play). She just hit the road last week in support of it but was kind enough in between packing her bags to talk with me about the third cut, Something Ordinary.

Miwa Gemini - Something Ordinary : This Is How I Found You (Download / Import CD)

Text in red is hers, questions in black are mine.

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Here we go, here's something about something ordinary :)

The story begins like this: a girl was in love with a boy, but the boy had another girl, then another girl, then another girl...

Many songs were written by the girl about her misery. Well one gets tired of it eventually, if one was lucky. I guess I was a lucky one, for I did get tired of it, the sad songs and my broken heart. I was so bored of writing depressing songs that I decided I just about had enough - I said to myself, "So be it, I might be as far away from being happily in love, but at least I will be in one in my songs!"

As I was began thinking about what makes me happy, I realized I was done with all those high drama love affairs, that all I wanted was, well to put it plainly "something ordinary." The kind of love affair that will make the most boring movie ever - "a boy meets a girl and they lived happily ever after." It takes only one person to say "no" but it takes two people to say "yes." And if two people says "yes" without any negotiation or compromises, you begin to see how extraordinary that ordinary is.

One of my friend used to say "if you want something, put it out there." I guess I did that by singing this song and you know, it worked. I have a wonderful friend now that I can talk to about anything or be comfortably silent together. I can laugh with him and if I cry, he doesn't get scared and run away. I call him my husband now. (Of course, being a typical woman, I demand champagne and flowers occasionally though I said in the song I didn't want them.)

So now that my happily-ever-after state achieved I wonder what's next - then I think of what my friend's mother said to us once, "After marriage, that's when the real work begins, girls remember that." And the wise words of Dolly Parton assures me also. Asked about what she thought of gay marriage issue, Ms. Parton smiled and said "Why shouldn't they be allowed to suffer like we do?!"

Looks like there will be plenty to write about happy or otherwise!


And to further plumb Miwa's mind:

1.) Originally you trained as a classical pianist. What made you make the leap from there to the music you perform now?

Erik Satie and The Carpenters!!! Memories of my childhood. Well what I want to say is that I wanted to write my own music. I wanted to create something strange and beautiful.

Erik Satie - Socrate Portrait De Socrate : Socrate + Melodies

2.) When I first visited your website and looked at the "words" page, I thought I was looking at poetry you had written, but then realized they were the lyrics to some of your songs. Are you a reader of poetry and how do you approach writing the lyrics to your songs? Do they come first or the instrumental parts?

I usually write music part first and wait for its story to show up. Sounds kind of funny if put that way, I just realized...
I appreciate poetry and of course I read fair share of Beaudlaire, W.H. Auden and Elizabeth Browning but really I love Edward Gorey. Especially his alphabetical one liners give me an infinite pleasure!

3.) Similarly, under "her story" on your website, I was absolutely struck at the fancifulness and creativity of your writing. It has almost a Alice In Wonderland feel to it. Outside of your music, are you a writer as well?

I would love to publish a book of my short stories illustrated by my drawings one day - hopefully in a style of Andersen or Washington Irving. I have a Rip Van Winkle book illustrated by Arthur Rackham, and it's absolutely wonderful. Rackham also illustrated Alice in Wonderland, too.
I say Through the Looking Glass is still one of my favorite book. I love the imagery and humor in it.

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Hopefully Miwas will be remain happy in her happily-ever-after state! As you can tell, Miwa is brimming with artistic creativity that flows freely in all nine tracks of the album. The US release of the album is scheduled for March 18th, but you can download it now or buy the import.

Miwa Gemini - Something Ordinary : This Is How I Found You (Download / Import CD)

and one from her first album:

Miwa Gemini - Charlie Chaplin Broke My Heart : Forgetful Ocean and other Strange Stories

Visit her website, her label Rock Park Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

Canadian Kara Keith

Today I present to you Kara Keith, a singer / songwriter hailing from Calgary, Alberta who put out a self-titled EP, her fourth CD, at the beginning of last month that's just dynamite. She was formerly the front-woman for another Canadian band, Falconhawk, and she's got a voice and style that instantly reminded of Liz Phair's older work (especially the opening track, Gorgeous Gets The Gold, circa Exile in Guyville era) mixed with Au Revoir Simone's newer work. The five tracks on the EP go by way too quickly, but they're good enough to listen to several times through on repeat. Try the second track below and then buy the whole kit-n-caboodle.


Kara Keith - Kick This City : Kara Keith EP

Visit her website, her label Saved By Radio, and become her friend on MySpace.


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Liz Phair - Mesmerizing : Exile in Guyville

Angie Stone Contest

In December of 2006, after being acquired by the Concord Music Group through its purchase of its parent company Fantasy Records, the legendary southern soul label Stax was re-launched. Soon after it's return, they signed two major artists: Isaac Hayes (yes, that one who was so instrumental in Stax's early success) and Angie Stone, who released a new album in October of last year.

I recently got my hands on that album, The Art Of Love & War, and I'll tell you right off, it just pops right out of the gate. Although I'll admit I am a little prejudice based on my love of the original Stax and its catalog of incredible depth, this album is something completely new, something completely fresh, something that deserves to have the legendary Stax logo on it while still bringing something original to the table.

Angie's story doesn't start with Stax though. She's been performing music since she was 8 way back when performing gospel at First Nazareth Baptist Church in South Carolina. From there she formed a rap trio and eventually started her solo career in the late 90's, delivering music that hearkened back to memories of Aretha Franklin in the classic soul tradition.

Her Stax debut is actually her third solo LP, and it's absolutely incredible. Although the classic soul influences are indelibly clear, Angie mixes in some strong hip-hop beats backing her on some tracks (try Baby below, which features Angie working with another soul legend, Betty Wright), smooth R&B grooves on others, and of course songs that do the classic Stax label proud (My People below - which feels like it could have come from The Staple Singers' catalog).

Now that I've talked enough about how much I love this disc, and hopefully some of that excitement has infected you, I'm going to give you a chance to win a copy for yourself. All you need to do is leave a comment (or e-mail me) with you name, e-mail address, and the name of your favorite performer or band that has produced something under the Stax logo anytime in its long, storied history and you'll be in the running. I'll pick a winner next Fridayish and notify them via e-mail.

While you're waiting to see if you won, check out the following two tracks from the album, and a cover of an Earth, Wind & Fire song that Angie performed for Interpretations: Celebrating the Music of Earth, Wind & Fire, coincidentally, the first album of all new material released by the newly formed Stax label March of last year.

Angie Stone - Baby (Feat. Betty Wright) : The Art Of Love & War
(watch the video)

Angie Stone - My People (Feat. James Ingram) : The Art Of Love & War

and one contributed to a previous compilation:

Angie Stone - Be Ever Wonderful (Earth, Wind & Fire cover) : Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire

Visit her website, her label Stax Records, and become her friend on MySpace.

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Betty Wright - Clean Up Woman : Atlantic Gold-75 Soul Classics From The Atlantic Vaults (Disc 3)

Isaac Hayes - Ain't No Sunshine (live) : Wattstax: The Living Word (Album 2)

Aster

For some reason life has been busier than normal lately, with no apparent reason. It almost feels as if someone, somehow, took a few hours out of each day without notifying me. So for today, no fancy write-up. Just some good music that you can listen to and explore on your own. Hopefully you have more time than I do at the moment to do so. Aster is a two man music machine with a much more filling sound than you might guess. Their debut LP, Some Things Seldom Heard Of, came out last month. It's lush. It's jingle-jangly. It tends to float up high in the atmosphere. It's below for you to listen to.

Aster - Attempting To Multiply : Some Things Seldom Heard Of

Aster - Some Things Seldom Heard Of : Some Things Seldom Heard Of

(watch the video)

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace.

Visit the Hinterland

Hinterland is a Vancouver based five-some who are set to release their third album, Pan Pan Medico, later on this month (the 19th to be precise). If you haven't heard of them before, that's OK - I hadn't either before checking out the album. If you're a big fan of the Moog, I'm guessing that you'll be a fan of Hinterland and might want to check them out. They bring together a synth-rock concoction of new wave and dream-pop mixed with a futuristic distorted jolt that will leave you wondering how it all came together. Behind it all are the vocals of Michaela Galloway whose voice sometimes flows like honey and at other times soars high.

What I find most interesting and ultimately most enjoyable about the album is the subtle shift from style to style. The starting point of the album, very synthesized and driven (try Detwiller Pavilion below), feels very different from the ending point in the twelfth track. The change starts around the fifth track, Future Ghost, which is a quiet, delicate, lush piece - quite a stark change from the first four tracks. After that things pick up a bit but never return to the electronic intensity of the first third of the album, instead shifting to a more new wave indie pop feel very reminiscent of the furor of Boston based bands in the 90's (Throwing Muses, Belly, more recently Static of the Gods, etc...).

The album comes out in a few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy the following:

Hinterland - Detwiller Pavilion : Pan Pan Medico

and one from their last album:

Hinterland - Sirens : The Picture Plane

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

Sunday Soul - Soulful Instrumentals

From my jukebox to yours...here are some instrumentals to help you put some pep in your step.


The Mar-Keys - Last Night : Last Night 7"

The Mar-Keys - Night Before : Last Night 7" B-side


Booker T. & The MG's - Something (Beatles cover) : Something 7"

Booker T. & The MG's - Sunday Sermon : Something 7" B-side


James Brown - Soul Pride Part 1 : Soul Pride 7"

James Brown - Soul Pride Part 2 : Soul Pride 7" B-side


Young-Holt Unlimited - Soulful Strut : Soulful Strut 7"

Young-Holt Unlimited - Country Slicker Joe : Soulful Strut 7" B-side

(this one's not really an instrumental, but we'll let it slide)

Sunday Spotlight - Dreaming with Kaki King

Kaki King is back with her latest effort, titled Dreaming of Revenge. As she's done with her previous three albums, King's music has continued to evolve, with numerous tracks featuring her voice delivering vocals alongside her accomplished guitar work. Recently she's worked on Tegan & Sara's latest album The Con, as well as with Eddie Vedder on the Golden Globe nominated soundtrack for Into the Wild. Somehow in the middle of all that, she's put together eleven tracks for this, her fourth album.

Kaki took the time to tell me about one of the tracks from the album, Life Being What It Is. Questions in black are mine, text in red is Kaki. Enjoy the track, while reading about its creation.

Kaki King - Life Being What It Is : Dreaming Of Revenge

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1.) What was the original inspiration for the song? Is there a personal story behind it?

That's a simple question to answer. It's a song about a recent breakup.

2.) How was the song given birth? Did the lyrics come first? The instrumentation? How did the recording process evolve?

I found this great tuning and was messing around playing a John Butler Trio song called Peaches and Cream in the tuning. Leaving that structure and experimenting with a new form of fingerpicking, the chords and structure wrote themselves.

John Butler Trio - Peaches & Cream : Live at La Cigale, Paris 10-16-05

3.) Are there any particular lyrics in the song that stand out as central to you or have a particular personal meaning that listeners might not pick up on?

"Life being what it is, we all dream of revenge" is actually a quote from Gauguin. (I believe the original quote reads "one dreams of revenge.") I know it sounds very serious, but I actually laugh when I hear it. For me it's meant to be somewhat tounge in cheek, like a cynical yet funny Morrissey lyric. I took the first part of the quote and named the song, and took the second part of the quote to name the album.

And some general questions:

1.) You've really made an indelible impression with your music about what can be done with an acoustic guitar. Are there any other guitar players (past or present) who you've respected, emulated, fell in love with?

Hmm. I've answered this question so many times, so I decided to look in my iTunes to see what guitarists or music I've really been listening to lately. My top three most listened to itunes right now are Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, Ca Me Vexe by Mademoiselle K. (who is actually a great guitarist), and Osten Währt am Längsten by D.a.F.. I'm in an overseas electronica/dance rut right now. It must influence my guitar playing somehow, you just need a musical microscope to see the results.

Jose Gonzalez - Smalltown Boy (live Bronski Beat cover) : Live at the 9:30 Club 10-2-07

Mademoiselle K - Ca Me Vexe : Et Si On Arretait D'ecouter De La Soupe 2007

2.) This is your first album with lyrics playing a vital and central role in some of the songs. That element has slowly evolved over the course of your last few albums, but how did it feel to make the leap to an album that tells a story with instruments and words? What were some of the challenges you faced doing so?

The words were easy. They all came from real life events. The only challenge I had was writing the proper melody for the 'chorus' of the song 2 o'clock. I also wanted a particular rhyme scheme in the words. But once I had written a melody that fit the chords writing the words was easy.

3.) So as an artist, how do you approach naming your instrumental tracks? I absolutely love names like Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person? (listen to it below), but HOW did you name it? How does that instrumental story convert to a title with words?

They may seem arbitrary but all my song titles relate to something that's happened to me or some idea that's based in my reality. The above mentioned song is another quote, this one from the German movie The Lives of Others. I wont go into too much detail or give away too much plot, but I will say that this movie affected me profoundly, and I wrote the song after seeing it 4 or 5 times. The quote comes from the moment in the film that is the ultimate emotional turning point for one of the characters, and it comes after he hears a particular piece of music. It seemed like the only title that would make sense for the song.

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The album comes out March 11th, so you still have some time to wait to hear it. In the meantime, enjoy the following few tracks.



Kaki King - Life Being What It Is : Dreaming Of Revenge


Kaki King - Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person? : Dreaming Of Revenge

Visit her website, her label Velour Music, and become her friend on MySpace.

Brazilian Beats with DJ Dolores

To be honest, I don't know all that much about DJ Dolores. His third album and newest project, 1 Real, is set to be released via Belgium label Crammed Discs on April 1st, but the postman was kind enough to deliver one to me early - much to my surprise.

Like Bonde Do Role, Helder Aragão (aka DJ Dolores) hails from Brazil, but other than both touching in the dance floor / electronica realm, the two diverge from there. Whereas Bonde Do Role gets a little trashy and silly, Dolores reins it in a little, modeling his beats more closely on elements of his native music: everything from forró to the music of the Jovem Guarda (the Young Guard of romantic Brazilian rock from the '60s). Tossed into the mix are horns, rock, and dub to spice it up.

When asked about the inspiration for the album, Aragão responds, "The originality of this re-invention of tradition in Recife's inner city environment [Aragão's hometown] was my main reference while producing this new album. It also certainly gave it its title: '1 Real' refers both to the crude reality exposed in those cheap songs, and to the fact that they're reproduced on CDRs and sold for a very low price (the real is Brazil's national currency) which, unlike anything produced by the traditional music industry, makes them accessible to the underprivileged classes."

Aragão has reclaimed some of these traditional musical styles and reinvigorated them with his touch, creating a fresh album which will make you want to move.


DJ Dolores - Deixa Falar : 1 Real

and one from an older album

DJ Dolores - Azougue : Aparelhagem

Visit his label Crammed Discs and become his friend on MySpace.

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Bonde Do Role - Solta O Frango : With Lasers

Luiz Gonzaga - Derramaro O Gai : Brazilian Beats Brooklyn

Dawn Landes' Bodyguard

Having your apartment broken into is bad enough. How could it be even worse? How about if the master (and one and only) recording of your second album got taken when the punks took your computer? Unfortunately for Dawn Landes, that very thing happened to her. “I never looked back or tried to recreate those songs, never played them, nothing. I just started over from scratch. I wrote Bodyguard in the kitchen while waiting for the police to show up.”

You can check out the results below. It's the first track from her upcoming sophomore album Fireproof, which is due out March 4th, and it's got a grainy feel to it like a Cat Power song. Listen, enjoy, check out Dawn on tour (dates below), and look for the album on March 4th. Based on this first track, I myself am eager to check out the rest.


Dawn Landes - Bodyguard : Fireproof

(watch the video)

Visit her website, her label Cooking Vinyl, and become her friend on MySpace.

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Tour Dates w/ Jason Isbell (Drive By Truckers) & Will Hoge

Feb 6 -Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Feb 7 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
Feb 8 - Double Door - Chicago, IL
Feb 9 - Music Mill - Indianapolis, IN
Feb 11 - Southgate House - Cincinnati, OH
Feb 12 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
Feb 14 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI
Feb 15 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
Feb 16 - Tralf Music Hall - Buffalo, NY
Feb-17 - PA World Café Live - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 19 - Toad's - New Haven, CT
Feb 20 - Paradise - Boston, MA
Feb 21 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Feb 22 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
Feb 23 - Satellite Ballroom - Charlottesville, VA
Feb 24 - Soapbox - Wilmington, NC
Feb 26 - Headliner's - Columbia, SC
Feb 27 - GA Theatre - Athens, GA
Feb 28 - Bluecat's - Knoxville, TN
Feb 29 - Headliner's - Louisville, KY
Mar 1 - Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN