Sleigh Bells

They're a duet that has gotten much hype without putting out an official cd yet. They have one coming out on M.I.A.'s label next week and if its anything like the first song they released it will be awesome:

caribou

canadian?

mathematical?

worldtour?

http://www.caribou.fm/index.php/videos/

Jónsi Live @ The Vic

I was at this show Wednesday night (he also played a sold out show Tuesday night) and he never fails to amaze me. Enjoy.

Alice in Chains

A comeback in 2009 and a classic from 1996

Alice in Chains returned to the music scene in 2009 with Black Gives Way to Blue. Obviously the loss of lead singer Layne Staley in 2002 changed the dynamic of the band forever, but there's no question that this album represents a strong return to form. William DuVall gives a great Staley impression and everything sounds like it's straight outta the early '90s. It's a little front heavy, but so is damn near every album these days. Put your grunge hat on:

Check My Brain
Acid Bubble

Now I couldn't possibly talk about Alice in Chains without mentioning one of my all-time favorites releases, 1996's MTV Unplugged live album. Consistently dismissed by critics, I consider this to be one of the three best MTV Unplugged performances ever, along with Eric Clapton and Jay-Z.

Who would have guessed Alice in Chains would work so well in an acoustic set? They hadn't performed live in three years when they did this show, Layne is clearly a drug addicted mess, and yet they still kill it. Every note. You can watch a couple of highlights below. This version of Got Me Wrong is one of my favorite songs, period.

Would?


Got Me Wrong


On the eve of May, which I am hereby dubbing ROCK MONTH, there's nothing like a little alt-rock nostalgia on a stormy Friday night.

Stew

P.S. Enjoy those Lala links. My favorite music site dies on May 31st. Let's all pray for an iTunes equivalent sooner rather than later.

Hell Yes

I can't even handle it. I haven't been this excited since Mos Dub two weeks ago. This is Beck's Gameboy Variations disc released in 2005. Yes, I'm 5 years late. No, I don't care. And no, neither will you. Put your headphones in and take in these two awesome tracks (note: these two videos aren't the greatest sound quality, I HIGHLY recommend you go here and buy this album for all of 2.99, that is all):

Ghettochip Malfunction:


Bit Rate Variations in B-Flat:


Also this week I stumbled across Brooklyn-based producer (who remains anonymous) Cloud. He's got a sweet spacey style to his beats, and the result is excellent working music. You can download two of his discs for free on his myspace blog page.

Here are two of his tracks back to back:


Oh, and one more thing, this Sunday night, if you're in Chicago, head to the Elbo Room at 10:30 - Shinobi Ninja live and in the flesh. It's gonna be awesome. Sunday. Funday. See you there.

Hell Yes.

Chopin

Frederic Chopin, 1810-1849. Nocturnes highly recommended for relaxation, meditation, and slumber.

Band of Skulls

She grew up in a nice neighborhood...

I love minimalist rock. The White Stripes, The Kills, The Black Keys, these sorts of bands are where it's at for me. Enter Band of Skulls, a rockin three piece act whose debut album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, dropped last year.

Boasting a simple rock sensibility and a girl who can sing while playing a solid bass, this band goes a little ways beyond their minimalist counterparts by incorporating vocal harmonies and a little bit of '60s pop smoothness into their songs without losing that blues rock stomp. The first track below, Death by Diamonds and Pearls, is exactly what I'm looking for in a rock song: simple, nasty guitar riff, angry but sexy lyrics, and a noisy, dissonant guitar solo to top things off. As close to perfect as rock gets today, this track would have definitely made my top ten songs of 2009 if I had known about it. It also happens to be the second track on the album (more on that some other time).

The rest of the album moves from heavy rock stomp (Patterns) to more mellow fare (Honest). The album closer Cold Fame is a standout. Overall, the album doesn't quite maintain the momentum generated by track two, but it's a solid effort and a fine example of the elusive rock music that I am searching for.

Death By Diamonds and Pearls
Blood
Cold Fame
Death By Diamonds and Pearls - Live

Fires


Buy the album if you dig

Stew