Category: Artists (Page 95 of 262)

Depeche Mode: The Dark Progression

June 10, 2009 / David Medsker

A definite step above the other unauthorized biographies in Sexy Intellectual’s catalog but not yet on par with the Classic Albums series, this look at the metamorphosis of Depeche Mode from cult electronic act to one of the biggest bands in the world makes one hell of an argument for the band as a worthy inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring interviews with several of the band’s producers (Gareth Jones, Dave Bascombe, Daniel Miller) and electronic peers (Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan, OMD’s Andy McCluskey), the documentary focuses on the band’s rather gutsy decision to explore darker territory, beginning with 1986’s Black Celebration and ending with 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, by which time the band was topping the US charts. The claim that the documentary features interviews with the band members is a tad dishonest, as they merely include clips from the short films that Mute assembled for the reissues of the band’s catalog in 2006 (and only one clip per member at that). They also gloss over the reasons behind Alan Wilder’s departure from the band, a move from which the band has only recently begun to recover. However, there is enough here that will thrill fans of the band in particular and of electronic music in general. Who knew that Andrew Fletcher was a fan of heavy metal? (Sexy Intellectual 2009)

Click here to buy Depeche Mode: The Dark Progression

Artists, Dance, DVD Quicktakes, Electronica, Melodramatic, Music DVDs, Pop

Alan Wilder Andrew Fletcher Andy McCluskey Black Celebration Dave Gahan Depeche Mode Depeche Mode DVD review Gary Numan Martin Gore Music for the Masses Songs of Faith and Devotion The Dark Progression The Dark Progression DVD review Thomas Dolby Violator

Pong Shop Boys

June 9, 2009 / David Medsker

We were stoked to see that the Pet Shop Boys, in support of their awesome album Yes, were launching a North American tour in the fall (musical director: Stuart Price, thank you very much), and then as we scrolled down to the bottom of the press release, we saw something that really got us excited: a Pong game featuring the band’s single “Love Etc.” playing in the background. Yes, indeed.

We had to pinch the width a bit to get it to fit, so if you’d like to play the official version, click here. Get yer Pong on, kids.

Artists, News, Online Games

North American tour Pet Shop Boys Pong Yes

The Features: Some Kind of Salvation

June 5, 2009 / Alexzandra Hackford

From the back woods of Sparta, Tennessee come eclectic indie-rockers the Features. Their latest release, Some Kind of Salvation, was recorded without the help of a major label, and boasts a hodgepodge of songs with inventive lyrics and infectious melodies. Opening track “The Drawing Board” sets the tone of the record with a barrage of funky horns, and “The Temporary Blues” makes a statement about that shit job you just can’t stand but really can’t live without. Other standouts on the record include “GMF” – about zombie vegetables that take their non-conformist farmer hostage – and “Wooden Heart,” a post-break up/rebound anthem about putting the shine back on that tarnished but most important blood-pumping organ. On the whole, the record is full of energy. It’s relevant yet different, with audible influences like the Kinks and Elvis Costello. Some King of Salvation is a bit of a departure from the wild psychedelic rock you may expect from the Features, but “Off Track” or not – this foursome is poised to make a bold statement in the world of rock music. (Loose Tooth 2009)

The Features MySpace page

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Funk, Get to Know, Indie Labels, Pop, Rock

GMF Loose Tooth Records Some Kind of Salvation Temporary Blues The Drawing Board The Features Wooden Heart

Seen Your Video: Hank Williams, Jr., “Red, White, and Pink-Slip Blues”

June 4, 2009 / Will Harris

As someone who once had a significant portion of his junior year of college ruined by a gentleman cranking “A Country Boy Can Survive” at all hours of the day and night, I’ve never been a big fan of Hank Williams, Jr., but when you grow up in the South, you learn to accept Bocephus as part of your life whether you actually like him or not. Plus, over the years, I’ve become a fan of his father (Hank, Sr.) and of his son (Hank III), so I feel like I ought to cut the good ol’ boy a little bit of slack.

Junior’s new album, 127 Rose Avenue, is due for release on June 16th, and although the first single – “Red, White, and Pink-Slip Blues” – is tailor-made for the old-school country audiences, you have to admit that it does indeed speak to the current economic climate, not just of the South but of the entire United States. Of course, given that this comes from a man who turned up at Republican rallies in Virginia Beach, VA, and crooned an excruciating little ditty called “McCain Palin Tradition,” you can imagine that most of the comments over on YouTube for this video involve assurances that the events discussed the song are all the fault of Barack Obama.

Whatever. All I know is that I like the dark twang of this track. Maybe you will, too.

Artists, External Music, Seen Your Video, Videos

Bocephus Hank Williams III Hank Williams Jr.Hank Williams Jr. video Hank Williams Sr.Red White and Pink-Slip Blues

Live Nation offers feeble, self-serving discount to people who really kinda sorta want to see that one concert

June 1, 2009 / David Medsker

Mega promoter Live Nation announced today that they will waive service fees for lawn seats at Live Nation-sponsored concert ampitheaters on all tickets purchased this Wednesday, with plans to offer similar deals on Wednesdays throughout the summer:

“We know the fan has been frustrated by the series of successive fees in the purchase process,” Live Nation Ticketing CEO Nathan Hubbard tells Billboard.biz. “There is attrition in the sales flow once you see your third page with some additional fees. The fan told us they just want to know up front how much the cost of the experience is going to be. We didn’t address that problem completely, but the first step was moving from fans paying a service fee — you might pay a shipping and handling fee, maybe a print-at-home fee, delivery fee, etc. — to consolidating it into a single up-front fee that is there as you cart your inventory.”

A noble gesture on the surface, but not quite as magnanimous as it might appear. After all, as you can see in the quote above, this is the company that has the nerve to make ticket buyers pay for the privilege of printing their own tickets. Let’s examine this supposed treat for the fans a little more closely, shall we?

Live Nation is running this promotion on Wednesdays. Most concert tickets go on sale Saturday morning, and if there is any chance of a same-day sellout (take Green Day’s upcoming tour, for example), no fan is going to wait another five days in order to save ten bucks. No one, of course, knows this better than Live Nation.

The only service fees being waived are lawn seats. This means that the diehard fans of an artist or band, who will naturally want to be as close to the stage as possible, will continue to get boned at the usual rate, while the casual fans of that artist – who are presumably on the fence about attending the show, otherwise they would have bought their tickets the day they went on sale – will benefit. While it would stand to reason that the diehards are the ones that deserve to be rewarded, in fairness to Live Nation, this is right in line with record labels’ tendency to market their wares to the people who are least likely to buy them.

Curiously, no one has discussed helping out the cash-strapped music fan by lowering the price of concert tickets. We suspect that the person who brought that up at the company meeting was tossed out the window like the guy in this Bud Light ad. Because that’s just crazy talk, son.

Artists, Concerts, Songs

Concerts Live Nation waive service charges on lawn seats waive service fees Wednesday