Hell yes. In undoubtedly awesome news, Built to Spill will be releasing their new album, There Is No Enemy, on October 6. In possibly less awesome news, Weezer’s new album, Raditude (I’m serious), will come out on October 27.
Here’s the track listing for There Is No Enemy:
01 Aisle 13
02 Hindsight
03 Nowhere Lullaby
04 Good Ol’ Boredom
05 Life’s a Dream
06 Oh Yeah
07 Pat
08 Done
09 Planting Seeds
10 Things Fall Apart
11 Tomorrow
Below is the first song that’s leaked from the new Weezer album. It’s titled “I(f You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” and isn’t half bad.
And just for kicks, here’s Built to Spill at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival:
If you remember Colin Hay, it’s probably for one of two things: his days as frontman for ’80s superstars Men At Work, or his multiple appearances on the soundtracks of Zach Braff’s “Garden State” and “Scrubs.” The reality, of course, is that Hay’s career is deeper than either of those things might suggest; since rising from the ashes of Men At Work in the ’80s, he’s released a series of solo recordings that, while not as commercially successful as he might have hoped, have earned him consistently solid reviews — and the ongoing devotion of a small but dependable following. Hay’s latest album, American Sunshine, is out this week — and Bullz-Eye’s Mike Farley (who also reviewed the album) sat down for a chat to discuss Hay’s outlook on the new material, his years as a solo artist, and the prospects for a Men At Work reunion.
You’ll notice Mr. Hay is smiling in the above photo, and for good reason — not only did Braff’s fanhood expose him to a new (and presumably rather lucrative) avenue of exposure for his music, it helped keep the audiences at his gigs from turning into the depressing “give us the hits” crowds many “heritage” artists have to deal with. As he tells it:
Maybe there are some people that want to hear Men at Work songs, and that’s cool. There’s nothing wrong with that. But for the last decade or so, the people that come to see me tend to not mind the Men at Work songs, but they tend to want to hear new things.
Also undoubtedly helping Hay’s mood — and inspiring the title of his latest album — is his longtime residency in southern California, which he recounts in the interview:
I came here (Los Angeles) in 1988, because they suggested that I meet the record company and say hello and hang out and stuff like that. So I came over here, and I ended up making the record here. And then things were pointing away from Australia at that particular time, so I just stayed. And I’m still here, really. I like it. I like Los Angeles.
To read the rest of Mike Farley’s interview with Colin Hay, click on the image above, or just follow this link!
It was announced today that renowned musician and producer, Jim Dickinson, died Saturday in Memphis at the age of 67. He passed away following triple bypass surgery.
A legend in the Memphis music scene, Dickinson first broke into the business with his band the Jesters. They’re hit song, “Cadillac Man,” is thought to be one of the last great Sun Records singles. Later, he became a successful session musician with the Dixie Flyers, as that group backed such artists as Little Richard and Aretha Franklin. A piano player by trade, he can be heard on the Rolling Stones cut “Wild Horses.”
In the 70s, he began producing albums, and continued to do so until his death. Among others, he produced Big Star’s Third, the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me, and Screaming Jay Hawkins’ At Last.
Throughout his lifetime, Dickinson made albums as solo artist and with other bands, though it never sold particularly well. Nevertheless, musicians such as Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder continued to use him on their albums. Dickinson played keyboards on Dylan’s 1997 album Time Out of Mind, which later went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
He is survived by his two sons Cody and Luther Dickinson. You might know them from their band the North Mississippi Allstars.
I’m not going to lie and say I’m an expert of the music Dickinson wrote. However, I am definitely familiar with him as a producer. Like most, I knew him from the Big Star/Replacements connection. I’ll try to sum it up as best I can. Paul Westerberg, leader of the Replacements, was a huge fan of Big Star, in particular their lead singer Alex Chilton. Big Star’s album Third was produced by Jim Dickinson. As the Replacements evolved, they wanted to try something a bit different that might appeal to a larger audience. As Westerberg was a fan of that Big Star album, he enlisted Dickinson to produce the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me. Given Dickinson’s background in Memphis blues, it’s amazing how well he worked with different genres. Samples of his work are below.
Sonic Youth, pioneers of the no-wave sound and arguably the most influential underground band of the 90s, clearly are doing whatever they feel like as they get older. The group has agreed to appear on CW’s hit show “Gossip Girl” to perform an acoustic version of their single “Starpower” from their 1986 album EVOL.
Sonic Youth is one of my favorite bands,” says GG showrunner Stephanie Savage, “and last year when I was doing my regular Gossip Girl google search, it came up in some blog about a Sonic Youth show that Thurston [Moore] was playing ‘Psychic Hearts’ and Gossip Girl was playing on a screen in the background. And I was like, ‘Whaaaat? Oh my God. I hope they’re not making fun of us! I hope it was a cool, edgy homage!’ And it turned out that it was — tongue in cheek for sure, but definitely with love, and that they were fans of the show.” (Perhaps worth mentioning: Moore and his bandmate and wife, Kim Gordon, have a 15-year-old daughter.)
Last year, Moore and Be Your Own Pet’s Jemina Pearl cut a cover of the Ramones’ “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” for use during Jenny Humphrey’s guerrilla fashion show, and Savage says the conversation continued from there. “We have a very special event coming in Episode 5 that we’re filming right now,” she says, “and they seemed the ideal musical guest for it.” But in fine GG fashion, Savage is mum about the exact circumstances of the festivities involved. “It’s a big event that involves [engaged adults] Rufus and Lily. Just draw your own conclusions,” she laughs.
Is it just me, or does the expression “they sold out” not even matter anymore? When I heard this news, I cared very little about the sanctity of the band being at stake. Media has become so intertwined over the last few years it’s difficult to tell what defines a true “underground artist.” Growing up a fan of punk music, I remember when the Vans Warped Tour — a tour traditionally featuring only punk bands — started including major label acts as well as rappers. People were fussy at first, but now you wouldn’t think twice about seeing Katy Perry share the same stage as Bad Religion. Punk darlings the Dropkick Murphys appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” only to later perform countless times at Fenway Park before Red Sox games. Nobody complained.
It’s definitely a step in the right direction. The whole idea of “selling out” actually gives little credit to both the fans and the artists. We have the power to decide whether or not something has quality. Sonic Youth is a revolutionary band who has been around for three decades. It’s not hard to imagine that they’ve accrued fans in various professions. If the creator of “Gossip Girl” is a die-hard fan and wants to have them on her show, then so be it. Bands always use the excuse that these venues provide an outlet to a larger fanbase. In the case of Sonic Youth, I think they could give a damn.
Last year at the Grammys, the team of legendary rocker Robert Plant and country artist Alison Krauss won Album of the Year. In his acceptance speech, Plant said, “In the old days we would have called this selling out. But it’s a nice way to spend a Sunday.”
This year’s Lollapalooza is officially on the books, and whether or not you were there to catch all the highs and lows of the ’09 edition of the long-running festival in person, now it’s time for a recap. Bullz-Eye’s David Medsker and James Eldred were ‘paloozing with the best of them this year, and they’ve thoughtfully prepared a day-by-day report of what went down at Grant Park last weekend — and if that isn’t enough to sate your appetite for Lolla coverage, they also collaborated on a liveblog of the event.
It’s all up at Bullz-Eye now, so to read about the “epic” lineup and “biblical” weather, just click on the image above or follow this link!
