Machine Head

Dave Rawlings Machine (really Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch switching their traditional roles supporting one another) released one of the loveliest records we've heard in a long time recently in A Friend of a Friend.  The record highlights Rawlings subtle and hypnotic guitar styling and excellent taste in material.  Most of the work here is covers (typically of songs by artists in which he played on the original recordings).  Some of the tracks are revelatory (a hauntingly beautiful cover of Dylan's Bells of Harlem; a mash-up of Conor Oberst's Method Acting with Neil Young's Cortez the Killer) while others suggest the perfect sound track to an episode of A Prairie Home Companion.  this stuff sticks in your craw and you can't help but wistfully whistling and singing along with a treasure like Sweet Tooth!  seek this record out, you won't be disappointed.

Here's some video someone kindly posted from an instore down in Nashville at Grimey's on December 3, 2009.  The sound on this video is absolutely stunning.  Make sure to check out the other clips available from this appearance, well worth the dig!

Goodbye CoCo

A Spoonful of....

 It's a great start to 2010 with Spoon making the rounds to support their new slow brew rocker Transference (out now via Merge).  The band hit Conan (while they could) with "Written in Reverse" last night.

The Turning of Seasons

Sad news today as Kate McGarrigle has passed away after a 3 year battle with cancer.  She was surrounded by family and friends (including her prodigal kids Rufus and Martha Wainwright).  McGarrigle was 63 and had enjoyed a more than thirty year career in music mostly singing with her sister Anna as The McGarrigle Sisters.

A Whole Lot Better

Heather over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends posted some video she took recently of a Brendan Benson in-store show.  Yummy pop-rock confection follows, enjoy:

Forgetta About It

Sadly, Death Cab for Cutie turn in a forgettable attempt at Simple Mind's ubiquitous "Don't You Forget About Me" in tribute to the iconic 80s filmmaker John Hughes a the Critic's Choice Music Awards.  Still, worth a look see in comparison...

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Go Ask Alice

Looks like some tasty morsels pop up on the soundtrack to Tim Burton's highly anticipated Alice in Wonderland including a solo turn by one Robert Smith (of a little band called The Cure) taking a stab at "Very Good Advice" from the original Disney animated Alice.

The album, which is being called Almost Alice, will be in stores in March 2nd, while a video for the soundtrack's first single, "Alice (Underground)" by Avril Lavigne," is due in early February. Full track listing:

1. “Alice (Underground)” performed by Avril Lavigne

2. “The Poison” performed by The All-American Rejects
3. “The Technicolor Phase” performed by Owl City
4. “Her Name Is Alice” performed by Shinedown
5. “Painting Flowers” performed by All Time Low
6. “Where’s My Angel” performed by Metro Station
7. “Strange” performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
8. “Follow Me Down” performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
9. “Very Good Advice” performed by Robert Smith
10. “In Transit” performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz
11. “Welcome to Mystery” performed by Plain White T’s
12. “Tea Party” performed by Kerli
13. “The Lobster Quadrille” performed by Franz Ferdinand
14. “Running Out of Time” performed by Motion City Soundtrack
15. “Fell Down a Hole” performed by Wolfmother
16. “White Rabbit” performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Two Words

New SPOON! NPR has an exclusive first listen of  Transference....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122279793

Gonna Be a Beautiful Day

 So nice to start off the week with some fresh Animal Collective tastiness...

The Heart of Stone

Neil Gaiman's short film Statuesque featuring Bill Nighy and Amanda Palmer had it's debut at the Boston Pops New Year's celebration in which Palmer took the lead (and Gaiman offered a blessing and benediction!).  It's a touching fable of love unrequited with a bit of a twist. Enjoy!

Great Songs: Beatles "Two of Us"

Holy #$%&!!!

Ring in the New Year with a mega-mix tape of remixes from DFA's Holy Ghost! As they put it so well, "what better way to ring in the new year than with a mix tape. we offer you ‘holy ghost! the remixes vol.1′ for download HERE. chalk full of plenty of shout outs and a stellar hip hop doubles style intro by prince language."

New Year's in Boston

A little taste of how we spent our New Year's Eve!  What a show! Amanda Palmer was fantastic with the Boston Pops kicking off the Twenty Tens with grace, style, and subversion!  We also got to see our friends Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade both pre and post countdown, scoring their lovely and tasty new record Darling, Oh Darling.   Ooh ooh ooh, so good.  But, without further adieu, here's Amanda:

Beta Vision

Hot new act from New London towne Straight to VHS beats the physical release of their new tunes with a straight to youtube spectacular. Check it, yo!

This is just to say...

It doesn't reveal a lot but this teaser vid delivers the simple news that we'll have a new MT Bearington slab out on Safety Meeting Records in 2010.  And that's news enough for us! 


"Love Buttons" by M.T. Bearington from mtbearington on Vimeo.

Great Songs: Booker T & the MGs "Green Onions"

Weight of the Moment

I'm a sucker for Elvis Costello's Spectacle.  Unfortunately, I have yet to catch any of the new season but this clip is surely gonna get me back on the task of my viewing duties!  Featuring Elvis himself with Levon Helm on traps and other luminary guests including Richard Thompson, Nick Lowe, Allen Toussaint, and Ray LaMontagne, this cover of The Band's classic track "The Weight" is a keeper.