Category: Rock (Page 207 of 241)

Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim…

July 15, 2006 / Will Harris

…and Rivers gotta get the hell outta Weezer.

Okay, it’s not like he’s making a mad dash for the exit or anything, but in an interview with MTV, River Cuomo – the frontman and songwriter behind Weezer – said there’s been no discussion about the band returning to the studio “Really, for the moment, we are done,” he said. “And I’m not certain we’ll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one.”

Perhaps it’s for the best. 2005’s Make Believe was alright – in particular, “This Is Such A Pity” made my list of Best Songs of the Year – but it was ultimately underwhelming and in no way the stick-to-your-ribs kind of tastiness the band provided with their self-titled “Green” and “Blue” albums. A rest might do Cuomo’s songwriting some good.

Alternative, Artists, News, Rock

The Madcap laughs no more.

July 11, 2006 / Will Harris

Syd Barrett, original lead singer of Pink Floyd and inspiration to dozens – maybe even hundreds – of British eccentrics dreaming of being pop musicians, has died.

Barrett, who had retired from music in the early ’70s and lived an anonymous life in his home town of Cambridge, had suffered from diabetes for many years. His work on Pink Floyd’s debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, remains a touchstone for British psychedelia, and his solo albums – The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, and rarities/outtakes collection Opel – are sadly brilliant (if occasionally shambling) documents of a man who spent the late ’60s and early ’70s on the brink of madness, occasionally teetered onto the wrong side of dementia. His fellow members of Pink Floyd never forgot their founder; in addition to being paid tribute to in many of the band’s songs, most famously in “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (but almost certainly on “Brain Damage” as well), David Gilmour made a point of including Barrett’s “Astronomy Domine” on the group’s mid-’90s live album, Pulse.

Farewell, Syd. On “Dark Globe,” you posed the questions, “Won’t you miss me? Wouldn’t you miss me at all?” The answer is utterly unqualified: yes, we will.

A brief discography of Barrett follows after the jump.

Artists, External Music, News, Rock

By all rights, it shouldn’t be any good…

July 10, 2006 / Will Harris

…and, yet, there’s something that leads me to believe that the new album by the New York Dolls will kick ass.

Due for release on July 25th, the album – entitled One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This – features band stalwarts David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain…mostly because they’re pretty much the only two Dolls still among the living…and reportedly sounds like the album they didn’t release after 1974’s Too Much Too Soon. But, then, that’s what you’d expect the rumor mill to be saying. The reality, though, is that it’s a highly credible claim, given the power and enthusiasm the band produced at its various reunion shows over the past few years.

Count on the disc to be dedicated to, among others, the late Arthur “Killer” Kane, who died unexpectedly only briefly after the Dolls played the Meltdown Festival in the UK. (The documentary on Kane, New York Doll, is a must-see.)

Alternative, External Music, News, Rock

ZZ Top: “Waitin’ For The Bus / Jesus Just Left Chicago”

July 10, 2006 / John Paulsen

First released on Tres Hombres, “Waitin’ for the Bus” is a simple song that features a terrific riff and the infectious repeating lyric, “Have mercy!” The song goes right into “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” which is arguably the band’s best song title. This driving, bluesy number shows the band at their very best. Both songs are played on classic rock radio, so you might recognize them.

Listen to song clips here.

Deep Cuts, Rock, Songs

More Petty-ness

July 10, 2006 / Will Harris

Tom Petty must be having a blast on this tour (rumored to be his last…but, then, how many farewell tours has David Bowie had?), as he’s added more dates. And his special guest star for some of the earlier dates, Ms. Stevie Nicks, seems to be having a good time as well; she’s decided to continue popping onstage for a few numbers. Joining in the fun as openers on the tour will be a rotating group of three different artists: Frank Black, John Mayer, and the Strokes. Never let it be said that Petty doesn’t have good taste in music.

By the way, if you need proof that going to see Tom Petty is worth your time and money, check out our reviews from the first leg of his tour here and here.

Artists, Concerts, External Music, News, Rock