Tag: Headlines (Page 71 of 76)

Dress up like Weird Al, and he’ll call you!*

October 23, 2009 / David Medsker

All right, so Bullz-Eye is doing their most off-the-wall giveaway yet. They are giving away The Essential “Weird Al” Yankovic, a two-disc retrospective of what can only be described as satirical genius. Three runners-up will receive the CD set, and one grand prize winner will receive the CD and…a five-minute phone call with Weird Al himself! Suh-weet!

Ah, but there’s a catch. This isn’t one of those contests where you just send your name in and sit by the phone. Nope, all entrants must provide a photo of themselves dressed as Weird Al. Happy Halloween! So break out your curly-haired wig and start mugging for the camera. But before you get started, take a look at the clip that Jib Jab put together of Al’s White Stripes-riffing homage to “Match Game” panelist Charles Nelson Reilly. Funniest clip we’ve seen all year. Giddy-up, Gene!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

For more information on Bullz-Eye’s Weird Al Yankovic contest, click here.

*- Odds of winning based on the number of entries. And how much you already look like Weird Al.

Artists, giveaway

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Ray Davies and the Crouch End Festival Choir to tour

October 21, 2009 / Christopher Glotfelty

On November 10, Decca will release the The Kinks Choral Collection, a collaboration between Ray Davies and the Crouch End Festival Choir. The album, which hit the British market in June, features new versions of Ray Davies’ compositions. Of the 16 tracks, all but one were originally recorded by the Kinks.

Thankfully, he’s taking the act to the States.

And this November, you can hear it for yourself, live and in 65-voice surround sound: Davies just announced a seven-city, eight-date tour through the U.S. Although some of the dates will find Davies playing solo, the New York dates will feature The Vox Society Choir and the New York shows will feature The Dessoff Chamber Choir.

Dates:

November
12 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
14 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Orpheum Theatre
17 – Boston, Mass. @ The Berklee Theatre
19 – New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall
20 – New York, N.Y. @ Town Hall
21 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Tower Theatre
23 – Albany, N.Y. @ The Egg
24 – Montclair, N.J. @ The Wellmont Theatre

As the Kinks were before my time, I never had the opportunity to see them live. Nevertheless, these shows sound like an entirely differently experience. Seize the opportunity if you have the cash.

News

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Steal This Song: Gazpacho, “Winter Is Never”

October 21, 2009 / David Medsker

The problem with a band reaching the upper reaches of the rock star food chain is that inferior bands begin to imitate them. And the band that has inspired the largest number of shitty copycats of late, sadly, is one of this writer’s favorites.

Yep, Muse.

The thing about Muse is that their approach is a lot simpler than it appears. The song, by and large, comes first, whereas the band’s copycats see the flashy solos, the lightning-fast drum fills, and the busy bass lines and instantly forget about writing and concentrate on playing. Big, big mistake. Without a tune, that stuff is just masturbation.

Which brings us to Gazpacho, which seems an odd name for a group of Norwegians, but then again we suppose that everything is served cold there. (This moment of cultural insensitivity brought to you by Jack Daniel’s.) This is the first Muse-y band we’ve heard since “Knights of Cydonia” that seems to understand the order of things. They can play, and they make sure that you know they can play, but it’s not their endgame. And, in the case of “Winter Is Never,” the haunting ballad that closes their new album Tick Tock, the song comes first, second and third. David Gray is probably gnashing his teeth over this one, as this could pass for a White Ladder outtake, with a few Buckley-isms from lead singer Jan Henrik Ohme in the second chorus. Gorgeous stuff, and best of all, it’s free! The download link is below.

In the meantime, those who felt a tad disappointed by Muse’s new album The Resistance would be wise to check out Tick Tock. It won’t make anyone burn their copies of Black Holes and Revelations, but for a mere $6.23 to download, it’s a steal. Dig in.

Gazpacho – Winter Is Never

Gazpacho MySpace page
Click to buy Tick Tock from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, Downloads, Gothic, Melodramatic, Rock, Steal This Song

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The Flaming Lips: Embryonic

October 21, 2009 / Michael Fortes

RIYL: Beck, early ’70s Miles Davis, pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd

It would be far too easy to call the Flaming Lips’ new album Embryonic “trippy.” Any of the albums they’ve released over the past decade could fit that description. But as it stands, the 18-track double disc affair is in fact pretty far out, even for the Lips. Drawing from the sound palettes of early ‘70s Miles Davis (the instrumental “Scorpio Sword” is particularly reminiscent of the edge-of-insanity performances that marked the days when Chick Corea and Tony Williams pushed Miles into serious avant garde territory) and pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd (think of Floyd’s soundtrack work on More), Wayne Coyne and crew have woven a heavy, dynamic soundscape that works best as a piece.

Indeed, few songs stand out from the whole, one of the exceptions being the typically novel “I Can Be a Frog,” which is impossible to hear without thinking of its accompanying video. And while Wayne’s voice has taken a beating over the years, he sings to his strengths and lets the fuzzed-out guitars and vintage electric piano sounds take center stage throughout the disc. In fact, in most cases vocals are mixed about equally with the rest of the instruments, avoiding pop melodies and song structure altogether.

This very well could be the greatest album the Flaming Lips have concocted to date, though there’s so much happening here that it might take a few years to sink in. The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots can retain popular favor in the meantime, but Embryonic is bound to fascinate and confound for years to come. (Warner Bros. 2009)

The Flaming Lips MySpace
Click to buy Embryonic from Amazon

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Psychedelic, Rock

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“Abbey Road” for Rock Band available today!

October 20, 2009 / Christopher Glotfelty

As of today, you can download the Beatles’ final masterpiece, Abbey Road, in its entirety for The Beatles: Rock Band.

For PS3 and XBox 360, the tracks will be offered up in two ways: Fans of Side A but not Side B — if those people actually exist — can buy “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling” and “Because” as standalone download. However, if you want those three songs and all 16 glorious minutes of the Abbey Road medley, plus all 23 seconds of “Her Majesty,” you can purchase the complete album pack for $16.99. Wii will offer up the three songs plus “You Never Give Me Your Money” as $2 a la carte downloads (”Her Majesty” will run $1) except for the medley, which will be divided into three multi-song downloads at $3.50 each.

But why stop there? Harmonix and MTV Games will release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in November and Rubber Soul in November for download.

Personally, I think they should get on Help.