Music Updates - Free Music Related News

How bad is the quality of that Icky Thump leak sendspacing its way around the web? You know well that we'll ravenously consume a record regardless the bitrate, but this one's pushing it. Each of your emails came with the appropriate caveat (aww thanks guys): it's a radio-rip, it sounds shitty. Begs the question: Who'd be ballsy/ignorant enough to play the entire album over two weeks before release?

That, friends, is Chicago's Q101 DJ Electra, and Jack White is PISSED. The self-professed Queen of Snark posted this in her defense after Mr. White gave her a stern talking to (via Web Vomit):

At 2pm today, during my show, Q101 became the first station in the world to play the new White Stripes album, Icky Thump. It's awesome. It's really, really, unbelievably brilliant and awesome. I was giddy and excited to share it with fellow fans.

At 4pm today, Jack White called Q101's main offices from Spain, where they're touring, looking specifically for me, to yell at ME for leaking the album and, in part, being "messed up for the entire (music) business." (Edit - I listened to the call again today, and I apologize for initially misquoting Jack.) I felt like I was going to throw up. Weirdest, most surreal conversation of my life.

Actually this list itself ain't bad, it's just most of the songs that are shitty. But not all, of course -- there's plenty of yacht rock to love. And who better to rank these tunes than VH1? There must be some holdovers from before the celebreality pox. Tomorrow night, Video Hits 1 will air their televised countdown of the Top 40 soft rock tunes, but go ahead and take a gander now and see if they hit the Marx.

40. Bertie Higgins - "Key Largo"
39. David Soul - "Don’t Give Up On Us"
38. Peter Frampton - "Baby, I Love Your Way"
37. Leo Sayer - "When I Need You "
36. 10cc - "I’m Not in Love"
35. Extreme - "More Than Words"
34. Dan Hill - "Sometimes When We Touch"
33. Cat Stevens - "Peace Train"
32. Kenny Loggins - "This is It"
31. Richard Marx - "Hold On To The Nights"
30. Andrew Gold - "Lonely Boy"
29. Debby Boone - "You Light Up My Life"
28. America - "Horse With No Name"
27. Lionel Richie - "Hello"
26. Harry Chapin - "Cat's In The Cradle"
25. Anne Murray - "You Needed Me"
24. Phil Collins - "One More Night"
23. REO Speedwagon - "I Can't Fight This Feeling"
22. Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson - "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love"
21. Orleans - "Still the One"

It's a wonderful life for band to watch No Age, whose debut LP continues to buzz months before release. And in "Boy Void," every time a cymbal rings, No Age shows pictures of things. Things like trees and flowers and their band and fans. And when the chattering anthem's art-punk skids into dissonance, well, there's an appetizing pic of open-wrist surgery (ER docs, we just made that up, right?) to fit the mood like a blood red chianti. Need a favorite new band in '07? Get Weirdo Rippers.

Weirdo Rippers is out 6/11 in Europe and 8/28 in the States on FatCat. Stream "My Life's Alright Without You" and our fave "Everybody's Down" at MySpace.

This is by far my favorite album promo ever. Montag a.k.a. Antoine Bédard is putting out his third album, Going Places, which looks exquisite. So go have a lookee listen, then go find the album on June 5th and listen some more….

Montag - Best Boy Electric

Share This

History is being made over at Comedy Central: The network we love to laugh with (save the looping MADtv reruns; make it stop!) has picked up the animated satire Lil' Bush, originally an Amp'd Mobile downloadable short, for a six episode run this June -- marking the first time a mobisode has made the jump to the little screen from the, uh, littler screen. The beefed up TV cast will include Iggy Pop as Lil' Rummy (that's Donald Rumsfeld) and, awesomely, Jeff Tweedy as Lil' God ("Thou shalt not compare us to the Eagles"). The show also promises voice overs from Dave Grohl and the Chili Peppers. No word on whether it promises to be better than the trailer, though.

This is so not the video Voxtrot needed to make. If you found the band's self-titled LP soporific, this pastiche of clips from a November Bowery gig and moments in the studio (with no relation or regard to the song itself) will do nothing to wake you. Though it is cute to see the guys in non-music mode (maybe should've just run with that?). Get us when the next EP's out. (via BV)

RELATED: The new Smiths?

We love the Forms, and you will love this. While you can catch the Steve Albini-produced indie rockers for free at the South Street Seaport in NYC at their show with the National and Takka Takka this August, you must watch the band's Jackson and Brendan Kenny bring it back to the days of Dylan McKay with the best worst theme song ever right now. Better still: They're twins (just like Brandon and Brenda!). As a YouTube commenter noted: "That was awesome. That was like David Silver doing Crystal Meth awesome." Yes. (Thanks for sending, Heather!)

If you haven't heard the Forms stuff, you should change that ASAP. It's a very Touch & Go sound which, given their pedigree, shouldn't surprise anybody. (Sunny Day Real Estate with a dash of Pinback, perhaps.) While we wait for the new record (produced by Jawbox's J Robbins and, again, Albini -- on its way), check these tracks from the excellent debut Icarus:

The Forms - "Stravinsky" (MP3)
The Forms - "Sunday" (MP3)
The Forms - "Black Metal" (MP3)

Wonder if Nat's still booking at the Peach Pit?

Can't blame the Aussies of AiH for going big with "Heart It Races," the global-grooved steel-drumming stand-out from Places Like This. In addition to commissioning remixes from folks like Pink Skull and DJ/Rupture & Mr. Lee*G, Architecture In Helsinki has tapped three acts to cover the tune. (This is where we remind you that the record ain't even out yet.) In case you haven't heard the original, head here for the vid (and for those in YouTube-hating places of employ, stream at MySpace), and then a have a listen of the following cover salute. Hey Willpower! and Soft Tigers play up the dance pulse of "Heart It Races," while Dr. Dog do it up with handclaps, slide guitar, some trippy hollerbacks, and their trademark throwback vibe.

Dr. Dog - "Heart It Races"

Hey Willpower! - "Heart It Races"

Soft Tigers - "Heart It Races"

Dr. Dog being a Stereofave and all, thought it'd be nice for you to take theirs as a little souvenir from Helsinki.

Dr. Dog - "Heart It Races" (MP3)

Enjoy.

Apple launched its higher-quality audio/DRM-Free store iTunes Plus (as in "Plus" thirty cents) this week to the delight of some and the disappointment of others -- but for those still into the whole pay-to-play music thing (we salute you), this is the start of something beautiful. Just don't go sharing those tracks with the internet just yet. Via ars technica:

With great power comes great responsibility, and apparently with DRM-free music comes files embedded with identifying information. Such is the situation with Apple's new DRM-free music: songs sold without DRM still have a user's full name and account e-mail embedded in them, which means that dropping that new DRM-free song on your favorite P2P network could come back to bite you.

Of course embedding user info into purchased tracks is nothing new for iTunes, but nobody was thinking about sharing DRMed tracks. According to ars technica, you can strip the DRM by converting to MP3, but then you'll degrade that enhanced audio quailty you're dropping dimes for. Until LifeHacker gets their mitts on it, consider this your DRM-Free-to-P2P PSA.

As Americans, we’re usually pretty snobby about our lyrics. Average Americans can’t get past anything that’s not in English… eh their loss is our gain. I have no idea what Catherine Ferroyer-Blanchard is singing about, and I don’t really care. Not as dancey as her countrymate Yelle, but there’s the same sort of irresistible poppy-fun to her tracks. You want to be there.

I guess this was released as a cassette single. I don’t if for the sake of irony or for the sake of collectors — do you even have a cassette player? Lucky us, we have some mp3s which will hopefully tide ya’ over til you get your hands on the Boys Noize remix Les Petits Pilous remix. Les Petits Pilous are on Boys Noize’s record label.

Catherine Ferroyer-Blanchard - “Chanson d’Amour” (Satanicpornocultshop remix) (mp3)

Catherine Ferroyer-Blanchard - “C’est Bien Trop Tard” (scalde remix) (mp3)

Share This