New LCD Soundsystem

So while everyone's been digging the song 'drunk girls' on LCD's newest disc 'This is Happening,' I'm just not one of them. This song however, is a fuckin dance party:



It's long, but it's worth it. Stick with it.

In joy.


---
Also, an update to a previous post. Delorean's album 'Subiza' came out this week. I've got the digital copy, and it's awesome. Pick it up, and if you happen to be at Pitchfork's festival Saturday July 17th, dont miss these guys live.

Blues Roots of the Grateful Dead

The roots of the Grateful Dead run deep into the history of music. Several genres inspired the development of their material and style, with this post focused specifically on the blues influences that turned into songs that were frequently performed live by the Grateful Dead. Most of the traditional blues songs were performed by Pigpen prior to his passing in the early 1970s. Pigpen was the first of several Grateful Dead keyboardists to experience untimely deaths, and he was one of the original members of the band. After his death, Bob Weir did his part to carry the torch, but couldn't totally match Pigpen's chops.

Otis Redding - Hard To Handle


Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning


Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man


Mississippi Sheiks - Sitting on Top of the World


No GD post would be complete without the boys themselves, so here is a showcase of Pigpen's blues vocals on 'Hard to Handle.' This clip is an excellent video from a GD concert in 1970.



Pigpen's grave marker in Palo Alto is inscribed:

RONALD C. McKERNAN
1945–1973
PIGPEN WAS
AND IS NOW FOREVER
ONE OF THE
GRATEFUL DEAD

Where has all the real Rock gone?

Rock and roll used to be dangerous and unpredictable. "Lock up your daughters, Mick Jagger/Iggy Pop/Bon Scott/Jim Morrison is coming to town!" You won't hear anyone saying that about Nickleback. Rock radio is filled with utter trash that all sounds like Trapt or Seether. And I'm not talking about metal here. Metal has its place, but it's not what really gets me going. There is tons of good music being made; very little of it could be classified at real, raw, powerful rock and roll.

But fear not readers of TSAD! I've got some great stuff for you. Over the next few weeks I'll be dropping some serious rock on all of you in anticipation of three album releases in May from some of the best rockers we've got (The Black Keys, The Hold Steady, and The Dead Weather, all in May!). Click those links, there's new tunes to be had at each band's website. A little supergroup known as Them Crooked Vultures will also be on tour at the same time. Suddenly it doesn't look like such a bad time to be a rocker.

So let's begin with the anointed royalty of mainstream rock: The White Stripes. Sadly the Stripes haven't been heard from since 2007 when Meg suffered some sort of severe anxiety attack forcing the band to cancel their tour, and that was it. For now. Luckily for us, the band recently released a live album, DVD, and box set entitled Under Great White Northern Lights. The material is a compilation of their Canadian tour from 2007, which included visits to every province and territory in the country with some fascinating little afternoon sets along the way.

I considered posting a select few songs from the live album, but after much thought I just had to post the whole thing below. If you haven't listened to The White Stripes live before, prepare yourself. They don't use a set list, and this stuff is raw, heavy, and downright hard. Jack White's passion onstage is second to none, and the result is an absolutely stunning album. The set showcases both recent tracks (I'm Slowly Turning Into You, Icky Thump) as well as longtime concert staples (Jolene, The Union Forever, Ball and Biscuit). Here's a high quality video to get you started:



Here's the album. Under no circumstances should you miss I'm Slowly Turning Into You or Seven Nation Army. Fell In Love With A Girl is also re-imagined in a slower, excellent form.

Under Great White Northern Lig...

Buy this album, and if you really love the band, pick up the DVD. It's one of the best tour/documentary music DVDs I've seen. Here's to rocking our faces off for the next couple months!

Stew

Mos Dub

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, this is the best thing I've heard, maybe all year. Mos Dub is Max Tannone's latest production, pairing classic Mos Def with bumpin reggae. Mos Def should rap over this from here on out.

Hear for yourself below, and download it for free here. Move quick on this (that Wait What - Notorious XX album I posted 2 weeks ago is already gone and off the internet), and if you only listen to one song, listen to Ms. Vampire Booty, it's a killer track.

In joy.

Laid Back Trance Tracks ...

jazzy trancey jam to get you through your day ...

Corniest Sports Montage Songs of All Time

Get your tissue box ready. I was overcome with emotion soon after conceiving of this post. If you've never heard the words to the Masters theme, it really is off the charts.

Dave Loggins vs. Luther Vandross vs. Survivor. Cast your vote NOW!

Qball Lives

I posted some stuff about Qball Lives a couple weeks ago but the tracks didn't work out the way I wanted, so here's round two.

Show some love to my man Cheeks, working hard to make the world safe for white suburban rappers from the Midwest. Here are some words from the artist:


Allow a brother to summarize; I recently decided to hire a producer so i could record all this funky shit that comes to my head. I'm planning on putting together a small mixtape/EP until I empty out my writing archives. Being the friends and fellow hip-hop supporters that you are, I figured I would drop a couple joints your way a bit early so u can hear what I've been up to. Because of the great feedback so far, I plan on making this project "CD case and insert" worthy. Not sure when this will touch your paws but I suppose not until this time-consuming little hobby finally produces a solid product. Download this shit to your iTunes' playlist and take a serious listen... more than once I recommend! "MidWestCoast" highlights my near-future move to San Diego. "Make Love to Break Up" is a story about relationships (or lack there of). Prepare to board the Dope-Shit Express:) Good Looking out.

Cheeks

Qball Lives by Stew C