Britpop blog

Headless Heroes are releasing The Silence of Love, a collection of covers put together by Eddie Bezalel, aided and abetted by producer Hugo Nicolson, along with musician Josh Klinghoffer, Woody Jackson, Joey Waronker, Leo Abrahams & Gus Seyffert. The wonderful Alela Diane sings tunes by The Jesus & Mary Chain, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs and The Gentle Soul and this one by Daniel Johnston. As always, Diane Read the rest of this entry »

Ariel Abshire is hot. 17 years young, the young lady released her debut album
Exclamation Love last year on Darla Records. From Austin, Ariel was one of this year’s SXSW secrets. Like Jenny Lewis, Neko Case & Nicole Atkins, Ariel’s got a thang; mostly it’s that voice and with her wide-eyed (just look at those eyes!) confidence. There’s no pretention in these songs; just emotionally felt, straight forward songs from the heart Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so I know there’s like no shortage of crazy great bands in LA (or sort of nearby) just waiting to be discovered. Last week, Local Natives grabbed my attention (and they should grab yours, too). This week its LA-rockists Foreign Born whose Person To Person is setting sail in June on the SS Secretly Canadian. The band – Lewis Pesacov, Matt Popieluch, Garrett Ray and Ariel Rechtshaid – are a percussive lot, making rhythm out of Read the rest of this entry »

The incomparable Bob Mould releases his new solo album Life And Times on Tuesday April 7th. Seems like just yesterday when Bob released his first solo album, Workbook, 20 years ago, just a year or so after the legendary Husker Du broke up. He plays Philly this Friday (April 3rd) at the North Star Bar.

City Lights (Days Go By) – Bob Mould

via Spinner.com
Husker Du flashback:
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Even though I admitedly have no fucking idea what they are singing about (it’s all French to me), Montreal’s Malajube have a new album out tomorrow and it’s a rich listening experience. Labyrinthes is the band’s third album and if you liked their ‘06 Trompe-l’Oeil, you’ll like this even more. Their ELO-meets-Jellyfish-meets-Phoenix pop aesthete is infectious and eclectically rewarding regardless what language it is in, cause this Read the rest of this entry »

A Fool and a Liar

There’s no such thing as an interaction designer either. Not as a profession. Anyone who claims to specialize in [interaction design or information architecture] is a fool or a liar. The fools are fooling themselves into thinking that one aspect of their work is somehow paramount. And the liars seek to align themselves with a tribe that will convey upon them status and power.

Jesse James Garrett, The Memphis Plenary given Read the rest of this entry »

Bryce Dessner of The National is performing at the Rosenbach Museum & Library on Thursday April 2 here in Philly as part of 21st Century Abe, a project inspired by Lincoln and the music of his era. Dessner will perform with his brother Aaron and a six piece brass section selections from a project called the Lincoln Shuffle, which was commissioned by the Rosenbach for the 21st Century project, an interactive website celebrating Lincoln’s 200th birthday.
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I always liked singer-songwriter Jill Sobule. Some of you may recall her from her big big 1995 hit song, “I Kissed A Girl,” not to be confused with I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry. I do hope Jill sold some singles on iTunes from folks looking for Katy’s song though.

Jill is back with a new album California Years. Written over the last three years and produced by Don Was, the making of the record followed Jill’s move to Read the rest of this entry »

Along with The Avett Brothers, The Felice Brothers are leading the new American roots-rock revival by many strides. Both have new albums on the way; the Rick Rubin produced major label debut from The Avetts is due this summer, however the Felice Brothers drop their new album Yonder Is The Clock on April 7th. Here’s a new tune.

Run Chicken Run – The Felice Brothers

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So, who the heck are Oceanship? They are the Canadian duo of Brad Lyons and Carly Paradis. Brad placed an ad in a paper looking for a band mate and Carly responded. He sings, she plays piano. Their new self-titled album is a monster jam of piano-driven melodies, hooks, & earnestness; a powerful collection of beautiful rock songs. The hits keep coming. This is the sound of one of them on this record.

Hotblack – Oceanship
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