Duffy raises eyebrows and bristles ear buds

By Greg Swan, on January 29th, 2008%

Duffy (just Duffy) is a newish UK singer who’s making a splash on both the BBC and Spin’s top artists to watch in 2008.

Remiscent of Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark and the unavoidable Amy Winehouse reference, if you like your brooding fem pop with a splash of Motown, check her out.

Duffy : “Mercy” . . . → Read More: Duffy raises eyebrows and bristles ear buds

Batteries : That Great Grandsuck of the Sea : "Childproof" mp3

By Greg Swan, on January 29th, 2008%

Duluth, Minn. band Batteries are fully charged and ready to rock.

The group’s debut, That Great Grandsuck of the Sea, is finally here for your approval.

We got our hands on the single, “Childproof.” It’s a bouncy stomper with a touch of sax and healthy dose of Dave Frankenfeld’s loungey vocals.

Check it out:

Batteries : . . . → Read More: Batteries : That Great Grandsuck of the Sea : "Childproof" mp3

The Blind Boys of Alabama : Down in New Orleans

By Greg Swan, on January 28th, 2008%

The Blind Boys of Alabama
Down in New Orleans
Release Date: January 29, 2008
Label: Time Life Entertainment

Four time GRAMMY Awards winners The Blind Boys of Alabama release their new album Down In New Orleans, tomorrow on Time Life Records.

Together for more than six decades, the Blind Boys of Alabama are Jimmy Carter, Eric ‘Ricky’ McKinnie, Joey Williams, Caleb ‘Bobby’ Butler, Tracy Pierce, Billy Bowers and Ben Moore. Backed by a trio of well-respected New Orleans musicians, David Torkanowsky (piano), Roland Guerin (bass) and Shannon Powell (drums), Down in Orleans marks the first time TBB have recorded in . . . → Read More: The Blind Boys of Alabama : Down in New Orleans

Great Northern announce Sleepy Eepee release dates, Tour with Gutter Twins

By Greg Swan, on January 28th, 2008%

I know I’ve been a bit of a Great Northern fan boy, but I do love this band. Some news came out today…

Besides iTunes, Sleepy Eepee EP will be released elsewhere digitally on February 19 and in stores on March 18.

“Home,” from last year’s Trading Twilight For Daylight, will be used during Super Bowl XLII in one of the commercial spots, and the band just signed on to the Gutter Twins tour — with . . . → Read More: Great Northern announce Sleepy Eepee release dates, Tour with Gutter Twins

Cassettes Won't Listen announce Small-Time Machine, offer debut single, "Paper Float" mp3

By Greg Swan, on January 27th, 2008%

Cassettes Won’t Listen will release his first ever physical release, Small-Time Machine, on March 11.

Entirely written, played and produced by Jason Drake, Small-Time Machine won’t be the first time most of us scenesters have enjoyed the musical stylines of CWL, but it will definitely help launch the band into the indie mainstream.

I’m super psyched to see this materials performed live. There’s a details tbd date at SXSW slated for March 12.

Here’s the debut single:

Cassettes Won’t Listen : “Paper Float” . . . → Read More: Cassettes Won't Listen announce Small-Time Machine, offer debut single, "Paper Float" mp3

Free Ticket Giveaway: Nanking @ Lagoon Theater : Lou Reed

By Greg Swan, on January 24th, 2008%

Lou Reed refuses to fade into a VH1 “1969 – Best Year Ever” episode, and that’s a very very good thing. Recent collabs with The Killers and Bright Eyes show just how tuned in the godfather of distortion, high volume feedback, and nonstandard tunings is to today’s music.

And after seeing the Sundance film Nanking, about the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China during World War II, Reed sat down and wrote these two songs:

Stream them here

I wasn’t familiar with Nanking prior to hearing about Reed’s songs. Apparently it was a truly barbaric event — remembered by our grandparents as the “Rape . . . → Read More: Free Ticket Giveaway: Nanking @ Lagoon Theater : Lou Reed

The Get-Rites : Pedal Steel Heaven EP

By Greg Swan, on January 22nd, 2008%

The Get-Rites
Pedal Steel Heaven EP
Label: Magnolia Recording Company

I’m a big Get-Rites fan. The new disc pics up where 2007′s Sideshow Revival left off — country-bluesified spirituals about life, heaven, finding your savior, and on the new EP, Pedal Steel Heaven, even a track about Jesus playing the pedal steel in heaven.
The Get-Rites : “Pedal Steel Heaven” (mp3)
Read our March 2007 interview with group leader Tom Feldman here. And if you’re digging all of this, download the entire EP here for free.

Catch The Get-Rites next Minneapolis gig on February 16 at Acadia Cafe’s new location as part of the Graveyard Blues . . . → Read More: The Get-Rites : Pedal Steel Heaven EP

The Interiors : "Power Lines" (mp3)

By Greg Swan, on January 22nd, 2008%

We first told you about Chicago rock group The Interiors back in October of 2006. They were still label shopping at the time.

Since then they signed with 54-40 or Fight, a good mid-sized label. But then their guitar player was in a freak accident which ended with the amputation of part of his left index fingertip. Yeah. Oh, and that was the day after they inked their deal.

So it would be an understatement to say 2007 was a mostly quiet year for the loud band, but the good news is they’re back and working on a new record slated for a . . . → Read More: The Interiors : "Power Lines" (mp3)

Counting Crows ready " Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings"

By Greg Swan, on January 22nd, 2008%

On March 25, Counting Crows will release their fifth studio album (first in five years), Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (Geffen/Interscope).

It’s an album of two themes: 1) the electric Saturday Nights, produced by Gil Norton (The Pixies, Foo Fighters) and 2) the acoustic Sunday Mornings, produced by Brian Deck (Modest Mouse and Iron & Wine).

Very cool concept. Can’t wait to hear the whole thing. Until then, here’s a zip featuring two tracks:

Counting Crows : “1492″ and “When I Dream of Michelangelo” . . . → Read More: Counting Crows ready " Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings"

The EELS Contest : Win a copy of "Meet The EELS," "Useless Trinkets" and Limited Edition Vinyl

By Greg Swan, on January 22nd, 2008%

Last week Mark Oliver Everett (aka E) and his revolving lineup of bandmates known as The EELS unveiled their first “best of” compilation, Meet The EELS: Essential EELS Vol. 1, 1996-2006, and its first collection of rarities, EELS Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996-2006 (Label: DreamWorks/Geffen).

Meet The EELS offers 24 tracks that showcase the bandâ€™s evolution plus 12 videos. Useless Trinkets features 50 hard-to-find B-sides, film contributions and unreleased tracks, and a DVD of live performance footage from Lollapalooza 2006.

All music has been digitally remastered and both releases are accompanied by notes from E and . . . → Read More: The EELS Contest : Win a copy of "Meet The EELS," "Useless Trinkets" and Limited Edition Vinyl