JAMES WALBOURNE . The Hill

Ideal para un fin de semana primaveral como este. No os lo perdáis Manel, Jordi, Sergio!!!!!!!!!Super recomendado. Gracias de nuevo Against the cierzo




by Mark Deming
Best-selling novelist and part-time music critic Nick Hornby once described James Walbourne's guitar work as "an unearthly cross between James Burton, Peter Green, and Richard Thompson," and went on to add "Walbourne's fluid, tasteful, beautiful solos drop the jaw, stop the heart, and smack the gob, all at the same time." Hornby is hardly Walbourne's first or only famous admirer, and he racked up an impressive list of credits before making his solo debut in 2011 with his album The Hill.

Born in 1980 in the North London community of Muswell Hill, James Walbourne developed an enthusiasm for American roots music styles as a young man, and by 1999 he was playing with former Long Ryders leader Sid Griffin in his U.K.-based group the Coal Porters. In 2000, Walbourne made his recording debut with the British alt-country act the Peter Bruntnell Combination on their album Normal for Bridgwater, and recorded and toured with them through 2003. As word about Walbourne's talents spread, he became an in-demand sideman, recording with Dust, Death in Vegas, and the Arlenes. Joe Pernice of the Pernice Brothers met Walbourne in 1998 when they were both booked on an ill-fated multi-artist tour of Holland; the two struck up a friendship, and in 2003 Walbourne joined the Pernice Brothers in time to tour with them in support of the album Yours, Mine & Ours. That same year, Walbourne was recruited to play guitar with Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt founder Jay Farrar on a string of solo shows. When Farrar relaunched Son Volt in 2005, Walbourne sat in with the band for some live dates and temporarily replaced departing guitarist Brad Rice in 2007, becoming a full member of the group in 2009.

During his downtime from Son Volt and the Pernice Brothers, Walbourne maintained a hectic schedule; he toured as a sideman with the Pogues and Bap Kennedy, did session work with Jerry Lee Lewis, Linda Thompson, and Edwyn Collins, and signed on as lead guitarist for the Pretenders, appearing on their 2008 album Break Up the Concrete and their subsequent concert tour. In 2005, Walbourne formed a band called Royal Gun with his brother, multi-instrumentalist Ron Walbourne, but the group proved short-lived, splintering after short tours of the United States and England. In 2010, Walbourne finally began work on his first solo album; featuring legendary session drummer Jim Keltner and Ivan Neville on keyboards, Walbourne's The Hill (named for Muswell Hill) was released by Heavenly Records in early 2011.

The honeydogs - what comes after

Gran disco el nuevo trabajode los Honeydogs!!!!

Phenomenal Handclap Band: Form & Control

Vuelven los 80´s


Review
by Hal Horowitz
Push play on the oddly named N.Y.C.-based Phenomenal Handclap Band's sophomore release and be transported back to the early-'80s dance-art-pop glory days of the Human League, OMD, and Heaven 17, among many others. The bass bounces, the knowingly dated synths buzz and whirl, and the male/female vocals sing with icy yet sexy detachment. Real (not synthesized) drums, guitars, and bass slather it all with a refreshingly organic buzz that doesn't seem retro as much as honest and full-bodied, if not exactly emotional. Surprises abound, such as the near-classical solo piano that closes "The Right One." Even though there is no escaping the creeping strains of disco, the songs exude singalong melodies and bubbling bass that, somewhat like Blondie, keeps the tracks vibrant, alive, and lyrically compelling even as the beats encourage dancefloor participation. Bryan Ferry gave the outfit his blessing by having them open his 2011 summer tour and while the music doesn't approximate his cool, artsy romanticism, there are clear parallels to some of his previous work circa Roxy Music's Manifesto as well as a good bit of New Order. But this is more lighthearted, especially because of the two female lead singers and the dry Phil Oakey-style male singer who trade off vocals. There's some Tom Tom Club, too, especially in the bone-dry vocals, but the six-piece is better at mixing funk, art rock, glam, disco, and even experimental tendencies together to form something fresh, lively, yet clearly referenced by the sound and style of 1980-1983 indie dance. The six-piece invited numerous guests to assist on their previous set, but this is more of a cohesive group project and the difference in comfort and synergy between the members is evident. Even some solid rock riffs, such as the one that leads off "Winter Falls," sneak into the band's unusual dynamic. The drumming that helps ground it all is elastic and malleable, making this follow-up a more successful and well-rounded album that seems to be just the beginning of something really good.

29/03 HUELGA GENERAL

Dedicada a la manifestación de hoy

The Veda Rays - There Will Come A Time

Desde N.Y.

Kasabian: Neon Noon

Nuevo video de su último trabajo

Bobby Womack diagnosed with colon cancer

Nuestro animo para este genio de la música y desearle una satisfactoria recuperación

Bobby Womack diagnosed with colon cancer, close friend Bootsy Collins reports Soul singer is also being treated for pneumonia, Collins says
Soul singer Bobby Womack has been diagnosed with cancer of the colon, according to his close friend Bootsy Collins.

Collins, who played bass for both James Brown and Parliament, tweeted yesterday (March 25) that he had spoken to Womack and that the singer had told him he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer.

He wrote on Twitter.com/Bootsy_Collins: "I just spoke to our friend Bobby Womack. He wanted you all to know that he loves you and thanks for the prayers. Doctor says he is in the first stage of colon cancer, he is very upbeat about his future, we laughed & joked before we hung up. Thanks funkateers, we will get him back on the one!"

Collins had previously tweeted that Womack had initially been hospitalised with pneumonia and was then diagnosed with cancer of the colon.

Bobby Womack's brand new album, 'The Bravest Man In The Universe', is set for release on June 11.

Co-produced by Blur's Damon Albarn and XL Recordings' Richard Russell, the album was recorded late last year in Albarn's own Studio 13 in West London and also in New York.

The album is soul singer Womack's first LP of original material in 18 years, following 1994's 'Resurrection'. The album will be released on the XL label, also home to Adele and The xx.(NME)

Ryan Adams performs "Come Home" in Studio Q (2011)

LAS MEJORES CANCIONES DEL 2011

Nª21

Ryan Adams

"Come Home"
Album : Ashes & Fire

Ryan Adams en su disco más acústico y en el que destaca este precioso tema.

JULIAN COPE BLACK SHEEP - REVOLUTION BLUES [Promo]

David Bowie & Mick Jagger - Dancing In The Street

No se si habéis oído que el Museo del Rock de Jordi Tarda va a cerrar (si no ha cerrado ya), las causas las continuas perdidas por falta de público y una planificación mal hecha.
Yo llegué un día hasta la puerta y sin acceder al recinto vi que programaban este vídeo de la pareja.Y pensé no será esta la causa principal del cierre? Poner esto como gancho? la gente quizá no entra. No se quien baila peor si el Mick o el David. Eso si Tardá siempre tendrá su Paraula de Stone y yo la paraula de que el rock no es para museos y menos viendo artistas como estos que en momentos estelares se pueden subir a la parra y quedarse tan frescos....fiasco!

Imagenes exteriores grabadas de noche en la Carretera de Sants a su llegada a la Plaza España , sede del que iba a ser el futuro museo en el recinto Arenas (todo cuadra amigos).

Tom Waits - In the neighborhood (1983)

Martín ,

Siempre he pensado que esta magnífica canción sería la ideal para un funeral. En realidad fue practicamente mi despedida de Tom Waits hace ya casi 30 años. La calidad de imagen y sonido no es muy buena, pero el tema es tan bueno que merece la pena ver el clip y escucharlo.

Spiritualized, Hey Jane

El video oficial (durito)

ceremonia entrega del premio Liebster

Ceremonia de entrega del premio al blog MIRAMAR.ROCKMAGAZINE. Muchas gracias a todos los participantes, sin vosotros no sería posible.

Spiritualized - Hey Jane

Adelanto de su nuevo trabajo (el video oficial no es apto para personas sensibles)

Bodeans - Indigo Dreams

by William Ruhlmann
Indigo Dreams is BoDeans' tenth new studio album in their 25-year recording career and their fifth album (including a live disc) since they ended their eight-year hiatus in 2004. It follows their last LP, Mr. Sad Clown, by less than 16 months, suggesting that now that the band is recording for its own He & He label, there is an incentive to be more prolific. As ever, BoDeans are a cooperative between Kurt Neumann and Sammy Llanas, two differing but complementary musical personalities. All the songs are co-credited to the two, but like such songwriting teams as Lennon/McCartney and Difford/Tilbrook, they seem to write songs separately, or almost so, with two distinct personalities emerging. What appear to be Neumann's songs (on which he sings lead vocals) tend to be examples of songwriting craftsmanship, like the lead-off track "Blowin' My Mind," an evocation of ‘60s pop/rock down to the slangy title. Llanas, on the other hand, is altogether idiosyncratic, often nakedly emotional and willing to use specific, personal details in his lyrics. In the love song "Way Down," for instance, he provides this verse: "I remember very clearly/We were drinkin' vintage sherry/You left a little drop on your lower lip/I leaned over, and I licked it." Just as they exhibit different writing styles, the two bandleaders have different singing styles, with Neumann displaying a sturdy tenor that has taken on a slight grain over the years, while Llanas has a somewhat whiny but more distinctive high voice. If this were a comedy act like Abbott & Costello, Neumann would be Bud Abbott the straight man, and Llanas, Lou Costello, the clown. But neither of them is trying to be funny on Indigo Dreams. In fact, they are almost in competition to see who can be more melancholy. Llanas scores first with "Paved in Gold," the song that gives the album its title, as he provides pocket descriptions of people who aspire, but are disappointed. "No one ever dreams of being old," he sings, "Everyone sees their indigo dreams paved in gold." For his part, Neumann looks with sadness at what seems to be a romantic relationship, or perhaps a long-term friendship, that's heading for the rocks in "How Can We," asking, "How can we go on?/How can we stay strong?/How can we even try/To say goodbye?" Both musicians take comfort in music itself, with Llanas reminiscing about the joy of singing old songs (many from the ‘70s) in "Sad Eyes," which uses enough of Robert John's hit of that title to earn him a co-writing credit. The music is the only good thing recalled in the hard-rocking cautionary tale "Rock N Roll Overdrive," which seems to be an autobiographical account of BoDeans' unhappy encounter with the major-label music business in their early days. By the album's end, with "Mercy," Llanas is confessing his sins to a priest and seeking salvation. It's a hopeful end to a collection in which he and his longtime partner seem to have reviewed their personal and professional histories with a combination of affection and regret. [On August 18, 2011, 23 days after the release of Indigo Dreams, Sammy Llanas announced his departure from BoDeans.]

The Weight - Elvis Costello's Spectacle

Martín este tema por el premio Liebster, venga Murdoch esto sólo es el inicio!!.

Elvis Costello & the Imposters are joined by Ray LaMontagne, Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson, Larry Campbell and Allen Toussaint for The Band's "The Weight" Dec 2009

Dr. John - Locked Down

Con ganas de escuchar el disco entero, parece prometedor y es que soy fan del Dr.

Dead Boys

Biography
by Greg Prato
The Dead Boys were one of the first punk bands to escalate the level of violence, nihilism, and pure ugliness of punk rock to extreme new levels. Although considered part of New York's mid-'70s CBGB's scene, all of its bandmembers originally hailed from Cleveland, OH. The group's roots lay in the early-'70s Cleveland cult band Rocket from the Tombs, which included future Dead Boys Cheetah Chrome (aka Gene O'Connor) on guitar, and Johnny Blitz (aka John Madansky) on drums, along with future Pere Ubu members David Thomas and Peter Laughner. The group's sound was a bit too comparable to art rock for Chrome and Blitz's tastes (whose influences included the Stooges, Alice Cooper, and the New York Dolls), and by 1975, Rocket from the Tombs had split up.

Chrome and Blitz decided to enlist local singer Stiv Bators (aka Steve Bator), second guitarist Jimmy Zero (aka William Wilden), and bassist Jeff Magnum (aka Jeff Halmagy), and formed a new group more akin to their musical tastes and dubbed Frankenstein. But the group only managed a handful of local shows before fading away. Noticing that there was an underground punk scene flourishing in New York City's Bowery, the group befriended one of the leading bands from that scene, the Ramones, who had come to Cleveland on a tour stop. At the insistence of Bators, Ramones frontman Joey Ramone helped arrange a tryout for the group at CBGB's, as the whole former Frankenstein band (sans Magnum), made the trek to New York. Not only did the group land a spot at CBGB's, they enlisted the club's owner (Hilly Kristal) as their manager, and signed a recording contract with Sire shortly thereafter.

Changing their name to the Dead Boys (from a line in their song "Down in Flames"), the band caused an immediate splash in their newly adopted hometown, due to Bators' Iggy Pop-esque, audience-bating antics, and the group's vicious three-chord punk rock. The Dead Boys' classic debut, Young Loud & Snotty, was issued in 1977 and produced by rock singer Genya Ravan, with future-renowned producer Bob Clearmountain providing bass. But by the time the Dead Boys launched a supporting tour (including opening slots for their hero Iggy Pop in the U.S. and the Damned over in England), Magnum had signed on once more as the group's bassist. Despite receiving a fair amount of coverage in the rock music press, punk was still misunderstood by most rock fans in the U.S., which resulted in the album not performing up to expectations sales-wise (despite spawning one of punk's great anthems, "Sonic Reducer").

The Dead Boys set their sights on their sophomore effort, which was originally to be produced by Lou Reed (with a working title of "Down to Kill"). But at the insistence of their record company (who was trying to convince the band to soften up their sound a bit to produce a breakthrough hit), the group enlisted former Cream producer (and bassist for early-'70s Cream disciples Mountain) Felix Pappalardi. The match didn't prove to be a fitting one, as the former hippie didn't understand the sonic onslaught of these young punks, resulting in an album that failed to expand on the promise of their debut (it's been rumored that the group unsuccessfully attempted to convince ex-Stooges guitarist James Williamson to take over the production chores from Pappalardi, in a last ditch effort to save the album). With a new title of We Have Come for Your Children, the album spawned another punk classic in "Ain't It Fun," but the disc sold even fewer copies than its predecessor. To add insult to injury, the group was forced off tour for a long period of time, as Blitz was almost killed in a New York City street fight/mugging (a Blitz Benefit concert was held at CBGB's to raise money for the drummer's medical bills, featuring appearances by John Belushi and Divine, as well as members of Blondie, the Ramones, and former Alice Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton).

With their record company pressuring the group to change their sound and their look completely, the Dead Boys split up in 1979. But just a few months later, the band was forced to reunite for the recording of a live album at CBGB's (due to contractual obligations). To get revenge at Sire, Bators purposely sang off-mic, resulting in an (expected) unusable recording (when the album was reissued for the Bomp label several years later, Bators re-recorded his vocals in the studio). Despite splitting up once more shortly afterwards, the Dead Boys would reunite for the odd show here and there throughout the '80s. Bators tried his hand at acting in such films as Polyester and Tapeheads, in addition to pursuing a solo career (1980s new wave Disconnected), before joining forces with ex-members of Sham 69 in the group the Wanderers (who issued a lone album, 1981's Only Lovers Left Alive), and ex-Damned guitarist Brian James in the goth-punk outfit Lords of the New Church (releasing several albums between '82 and '88). Having relocated to Paris, France, Bators then attempted to assemble a punk supergroup, of sorts, which was to have included Johnny Thunders and Dee Dee Ramone, which fizzled out before any recording could get under way. On June 4, 1990, Bators died from injuries sustained after being hit by a car in Paris.

After Bators' death, countless Dead Boys compilations, live sets, and rarities collections were issued, including such titles as Twistin' on the Devil's Fork: Live at CBGB's, Magnificent Chaos, Down in Flames, All This & More, and Liver Than You'll Ever Be, in addition to releases by the pre- Dead Boys outfits Rocket from the Tombs (The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs) and Frankenstein (Eve of the Dead Boys: October 1975). Despite only issuing a pair of studio recordings during their brief but colorful career, the Dead Boys' influence on subsequent rock bands continues to be felt to this day, as such acclaimed groups as Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam covered their songs in the '90s and 2000s.

the dB's

Biography
by Chris Woodstra
Along with Let's Active, the dB's defined the Southern power pop/jangle pop movement of the early to mid-'80s. The band's music was a quirky blend of smart pop and psychedelia crossed with the more experimental side of new wave. Though they never received widespread recognition outside of critical acclaim, they provided a key link between Big Star and '80s alternative guitar acts such as R.E.M.

Formed in 1978 in Winston-Salem, NC, the original lineup of the band featured Chris Stamey (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Gene Holder (bass), and Will Rigby (drums). All three members had spent time in Stamey's legendary group, the Sneakers, a group he co-founded with Mitch Easter. After relocating to New York, the dB's released their debut single, "(I Thought) You Wanted to Know," for Stamey's Car label. Guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Peter Holsapple, who had worked with Stamey in the band Rittenhouse Square in the early '70s, joined the band by the end of 1978. Holsapple and Stamey shared the songwriting chores during the band's early years.

The dB's were unable to secure a U.S. recording contract, so they signed to the British Albion label. They released two albums on Albion: Stands for Decibels (1981) and Repercussion (1982). Both records received rave reviews but little sales. Stamey left in 1983 to resume a solo career. Rick Wagner was added on bass but was replaced shortly by Jeff Beninato. With Holsapple fronting the group, they signed to Bearsville in 1984 and released Like This, a more conventional jangle pop album with strong country leanings. Bearsville's internal problems doomed the album despite its obvious hit potential. They eventually left to sign with I.R.S. Records in 1987, where they released The Sound of Music. The album managed to break the Top 200 and college radio support was strong. The dB's received some crucial exposure when they opened for R.E.M. on their Document tour in the end of 1987, but by the end of 1988, the band decided to break up.

Holsapple and Stamey reunited in 1991 for a duo project, releasing Mavericks later that year. Mavericks was the only album the duo ever released. Following its release, Stamey continued with solo projects; he also continued to contribute to the Golden Palominos. Holder went on to join the Wygals and worked as a producer and guest musician for other artists. Will Rigby released one solo album, Sidekick Phenomenon, in 1985. Holsapple joined R.E.M. as an occasional touring member in 1991 and formed his own band, the Continental Drifters, with wife Susan Cowsill. In 1994, Holsapple, Rigby, Beninato, plus new member Eric Peterson (guitar) re-formed the dB's and recorded Paris Avenue, which was released on the Monkey Hill label.

PREMIO LIEBSTER

MIRAMAR.ROCKMAGAZINE Ha recibido dicho premio por la labor realizada
PREMIO LIEBSTER / MUCHAS GRACIAS

Muchísimas gracias a corazonderockroll de todo corazón
por el premio y por la labor que realiza.

el premio tiene como objetivo reconocer públicamente la labor de los blogs como herramienta de comunicación e información pues el proceso a validarlo es el siguiente:
Copiar y pegar el premio en el blog, y enlazarlo al blog que te lo dio.
- Señalar tus 5 blogs favoritos con menos de 200 seguidores que merezcan ser reconocidos y dejar un comentario en sus blogs para hacerles saber que recibieron este galardón.
- Esperar que esos blogs pasen, a su vez, el galardón a otros 5 blog

Y estos son mis blogs premiados tachin tachin. Felicidades a todos ellos por los buenos momentos que nos dan.

curtains
rockfloyd
mansionenlacolina
simpatiaporladesafinacion
hijosdechinaski

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Review
by Ned Raggett
It even looks like something classic, beyond its time or place of origin even as it was a clear product of both -- one of Peter Saville's earliest and best designs, a transcription of a signal showing a star going nova, on a black embossed sleeve. If that were all Unknown Pleasures was, it wouldn't be discussed so much, but the ten songs inside, quite simply, are stone-cold landmarks, the whole album a monument to passion, energy, and cathartic despair. The quantum leap from the earliest thrashy singles to Unknown Pleasures can be heard through every note, with Martin Hannett's deservedly famous production -- emphasizing space in the most revelatory way since the dawn of dub -- as much a hallmark as the music itself. Songs fade in behind furtive noises of motion and activity, glass breaks with the force and clarity of doom, minimal keyboard lines add to an air of looming disaster -- something, somehow, seems to wait or lurk beyond the edge of hearing. But even though this is Hannett's album as much as anyone's, the songs and performances are the true key. Bernard Sumner redefined heavy metal sludge as chilling feedback fear and explosive energy, Peter Hook's instantly recognizable bass work at once warm and forbidding, Stephen Morris' drumming smacking through the speakers above all else. Ian Curtis synthesizes and purifies every last impulse, his voice shot through with the desire first and foremost to connect, only connect -- as "Candidate" plaintively states, "I tried to get to you/You treat me like this." Pick any song: the nervous death dance of "She's Lost Control"; the harrowing call for release "New Dawn Fades," all four members in perfect sync; the romance in hell of "Shadowplay"; "Insight" and its nervous drive toward some sort of apocalypse. All visceral, all emotional, all theatrical, all perfect -- one of the best albums ever.

The Damned

Biography
by Ned Raggett
With punk's history having entered a new millennium, the impact of the band initially judged "the least likely to" seems to grow ever more each day. The Ramones hold deserved pride of place for kick-starting the whole thing, while the Sex Pistols -- and to a lesser extent, the Clash -- helped take it to an even more notorious level, serving as role models for many young bands to this day. But arguably just as important and memorable were the Damned, London contemporaries of the Pistols and Clash that made their own mark from the start. Eschewing political posing, ill-fitting outside rhetoric, and simply doing the same thing over and over again, the group -- which lacked anything like a stable lineup -- took punk's simplicity and promise as a starting point and ran with it. The end result, at the group's finest: a series of inspired, ambitious albums and amazing live shows combining full-on rock energy, a stylish sense of performance, and humorous deadpan cool. Not necessarily what anyone would have thought when Ray Burns and Chris Millar met in 1974, when both ended up working backstage at the Croydon Fairfield Hall.

Burns and Millar -- more famously known in later years as guitarist/singer Captain Sensible and manic drummer Rat Scabies -- kept in touch as both struggled in the stultifying mid-'70s London scene. Things picked up when Scabies talked his way into a rehearsal with London S.S., the shifting lineup ground zero of U.K. punk that nearly everybody seemed to belong to at one point or another. There he met guitarist Brian James, while in a separate venture overseen by Malcolm McLaren, casting about for his own particular group to oversee, Scabies first met theatrical singer Dave Vanian, still working through his New York Dolls/Alice Cooper obsession. Vanian's own history allegedly included singing "I Love the Dead" and "Dead Babies" while working as a gravedigger, but whatever the background, he proved to be a perfect frontman. Scabies put Sensible in touch with Vanian and James and the Damned were born, with Sensible switching over to bass while James handled guitar and songwriting.

Though the Sex Pistols became the most publicized of all the original London punk groups, forming and playing before everyone else, the Damned actually ended up scoring most of the firsts on its own, notably the first U.K. punk single -- "New Rose" -- in 1976 and the first album, Damned Damned Damned, the following year. Produced by Nick Lowe, both were clipped, direct explosions of sheer energy, sometimes rude but never less than entertaining. The group ended up sacked from the Pistols' cancellation-plagued full U.K. tour after only one show, but rebounded with a opening slot on the final T. Rex tour, while further tweaking everyone else's noses by being the first U.K. act to take punk back to America via a New York jaunt. Things started to get fairly shaky after that, however, with Lu Edmonds drafted in on second guitar and plans for the group's second album, Music for Pleasure, not succeeding as hoped for. The members wanted legendary rock burnout Syd Barrett to produce, but had to settle for his Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason. The indifferent results and other pressures convinced Scabies to call it a day, and while future Culture Club drummer Jon Moss was drafted in to cover, the group wrapped it up in early 1978.

Or so it seemed; after various go-nowhere ventures (Sensible tried the retro-psych King, Vanian temporarily joined glam-too-late oddballs the Doctors of Madness), all the original members save James realized they still enjoyed working together. Settling the legal rights to the name after some shows incognito in late 1978, the group, now with Sensible playing lead guitar (and also the first U.K. punk band to reunite), embarked on its most successful all-around period. With a series of bassists -- first ex-Saints member Algy Ward, then Eddie and the Hot Rods refugee Paul Gray and finally Bryn Merrick -- the Damned proceeded to make a run of stone-cold classic albums and singles. There'd be plenty of low points amidst the highs, to be sure, but it's hard to argue with the results. Vanian's smart crooning and spooky theatricality ended up more or less founding goth rock inadvertently (with nearly all his clones forgetting what he always kept around -- an open sense of humor). Sensible, meanwhile, turned out to be an even better guitarist than James, a master of tight riffs and instantly memorable melodies and, when needed, a darn good keyboardist, while Scabies' ghost-of-Keith Moon drumming was some of the most entertaining yet technically sharp work on that front in years.

The one-two punch of Machine Gun Etiquette, the 1979 reunion record, and the following year's The Black Album demonstrated the band's staying power well, packed with such legendary singles as the intentionally ridiculous "Love Song," the anthemic "Smash It Up," and "Wait for the Blackout" and the catchy Satanism (if you will) of "I Just Can't Be Happy Today." On the live front, the Damned were unstoppable, riding out punk's supposed death with a series of fiery performances laden with both great playing and notable antics, from Sensible's penchant for clothes-shedding to Vanian's eye for horror style and performance. Released in 1982, Strawberries found the Damned creating another generally fine release, but to less public acclaim than Sensible's solo work, the guitarist having surprisingly found himself a number one star with a version of "Happy Talk" from South Pacific. While the dual career lasted for a year or two more, the Damned found themselves starting to fracture again with little more than a hardcore fan base supporting the group work -- Sensible finally left in mid-1984 after disputes over band support staff hirings and firings. Second guitarist Roman Jugg, having joined some time previously, stepped to the lead and the band continued on.

To everyone's surprise, not only did the Damned bounce back, they did so in a very public way -- first by ending up on a major label, MCA, who issued Phantasmagoria in 1985, then scoring a massive U.K. hit via a cover of "Eloise," a melodramatic '60s smash for Barry Ryan. It was vindication on a commercial level a decade after having first started, but the Anything album in 1986, flashes of inspiration aside, felt far more anonymous in comparison, the band's worst since Music for Pleasure. After a full career retrospective release, The Light at the End of the Tunnel, the band undertook a variety of farewell tours, including dates with both Sensible and James joining the then-current quartet. The end of 1989 brought a final We Really Must Be Going tour in the U.K., featuring the original quartet in one last bow, which would seem to have been the end to things.

Anything but. The I Didn't Say It tour arrived in 1991, with Paul Gray rejoining the band to play along with the quartet. It was the first in a series of dates and shows throughout the '90s which essentially confirmed the group as a nostalgia act, concentrating on the early part of its career for audiences often too young to have even heard about them the first time around. It was a good nostalgia act, though, with performances regularly showing the old fire (and Sensible his legendary stage presence, often finishing shows nude). After some 1992 shows, the Damned disappeared again for a while -- but when December 1993 brought some more dates, an almost all-new band was the result. Only Scabies and Vanian remained, much like the late '80s lineup; their cohorts were guitarists Kris Dollimore and Alan Lee Shaw and bassist Moose.

This quintet toured and performed in Japan and Europe for about two years, also recording demos here and there that Vanian claimed he believed were for a projected future album with both Sensible and James contributing. Whatever the story, nothing more might have happened if Scabies hadn't decided to work out a formal release of those demos as Not of This Earth, first appearing in Japan in late November 1995. Vanian, having reestablished contact with Sensible during the former's touring work with his Phantom Chords band, responded by breaking with Scabies, reuniting fully with Sensible and recruiting a new group to take over the identity of the Damned. Initially this consisted of Gray once again, plus drummer Garrie Dreadful and keyboardist Monty. However, Gray was replaced later in 1996 following an on-stage tantrum by, in a totally new twist, punk veteran Patricia Morrison, known for her work in the Gun Club and the Sisters of Mercy among many other bands. Scabies reacted to all this with threats of lawsuits and vituperative public comments, but after all was said and done, Vanian, Sensible, and company maintained the rights to the name, occasional billing as "ex-members of the Damned" aside, done to avoid further trouble.

Since then, this latest version of the Damned has toured on a fairly regular basis, though this time with instability in the drumming department (Dreadful left at the end of 1998, first replaced by Spike, then later in 1999 by Pinch). While Vanian continued to pursue work with the Phantom Chords, for the first time in years, the Damned started to become a true outfit once again, the lineup gelling and holding together enough to warrant further attention. The capper was a record contract in 2000 with Nitro Records, the label founded and run by longtime Damned fanatic Dexter Holland, singer with the Offspring (who covered "Smash It Up" for the Batman Forever soundtrack in the mid-'90s). In a fun personal note, meanwhile, Morrison and Vanian married, perhaps making them the ultimate punk/goth couple of all time.

By 2001, the Vanian/Sensible-led Damned looked to be in fine shape, releasing the album Grave Disorder on Nitro and touring to general acclaim. Knowing the fractured history of the band -- captured in the literally endless series of releases, authorized and otherwise, from all periods of its career, live, studio, compilations, and more -- only a foolish person would claim things would stay on an even keel for the future. Permanently losing Scabies would seem to have been a killer blow on first blush, but the group has soldiered on regardless, a welcome influence from the past as well as a group of fine entertainers for the present. The year 2005 found both eras of the band being represented. While the new lineup was touring and working on a new album, the original lineup was honored by the three-disc box set Play It at Your Sister, which was released on the Sanctuary label. The limited-edition set covered the years 1976-1977, featuring all the tracks from the first two albums along with John Peel sessions and live material. It soon came time for the new lineup to issue its own album, which arrived in 2008 in the form of a slick, pop-influenced record titled So, Who's Paranoid?

David Johansen - Here Comes the Night

Review
by Mark Deming
On his first two solo albums, David Johansen sounded like he was trying to walk a fine line between recapturing the glorious chaos of the New York Dolls and creating a sound that better reflected his own individual personality (and might sell a few records in the process). The first half of that equation fell by the wayside while Johansen was recording his third solo set, 1981's Here Comes the Night, which plays more like a conventional hard rock album than David Johansen or In Style, especially when Blondie Chaplin cranks up his guitar on "My Obsession," "She Loves Strangers" or the title cut. However, it doesn't play that much like a conventional hard rock album; few acts reaching for the masses arena-style would have included a neo-samba number like "Marquesa De Sade" (complete with traditional Latin production), the calypso flavored "Rollin' Job," a beatnik homage like "Bohemian Love Pad," or name-checked Vincent Price on "Suspicion." Some of the more playful or willfully eccentric moments on Here Comes the Night seem to anticipate the Buster Poindexter persona Johansen would adopt later in the decade (without the aural wink and nudge), though for the most part the production and arrangements seem to run counter to his occasional bursts of creativity. Johansen's vocals are powerful and full-bodied on Here Comes the Night and there are a few fine tunes here, especially the nightlife homage of the title cut, the atmospheric "She Loves Strangers," and "Heart of Gold," a heartfelt ballad Johansen revived on the first Buster Poindexter LP. But for anyone who remembered Johansen's best work, Here Comes the Night was a real letdown despite its periodic flashes of excitement. [In 2007, American Beat Records reissued Here Comes the Night on compact disc with a bonus track, an alternate take of the title tune that was recorded during a 1982 concert in Boston. The track, which previously surfaced on a rare single, is a nice addition for completists, but it doesn't add a tremendous amount to the album, though the new version sounds better than most of the worn vinyl copies still circulating.]

LISTA ROOTS POWER POP DE SPOFITY

Esta música, unas cervecitas, un par de rubias, sábado noche , EL CIELO!!!!!!
ROOTS POWER POP EN SPOFITY (si necesitas una invitación envía mail)

Dazz Band

Biography
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Cleveland-based Dazz Band was one of the more popular funk groups of the early '80s. Bobby Harris formed the group in the late '70s, merging two Cleveland funk bands, Bell Telefunk and Mother Braintree. After myriad lineup changes, the end result was an eight-piece band featuring Harris, Skip Martin III, Pierre DeMudd on horns and vocals, guitarist Eric Fearman, bassist Michael Wiley, drummer Isaac Wiley, keyboardist Kevin Frederick, and percussionist Kenny Pettus. Harris and lead songwriter/guitarist Mike Calhoun's concept for the group was "danceable jazz"; he shortened the description to "dazz" and called the group Kinsman Dazz. Under that name, the group had two small hits in the U.S.A. during 1978 and 1979. After Calhoun left they changed their name to the Dazz Band in 1980 and signed to Motown.

Invitation to Love, the band's first release for the record label, was released in 1980. Once the group veered away from the more melodic, pop-oriented dance music that dominated their debut and started playing a tougher, more groove-oriented funk, the Dazz Band began racking up the hits. "Let It Whip," taken from their second album Keep It Live (1982), reached number five and won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by an R&B Vocal Duo or Group. While they never reached those heights again, the Dazz Band had a string of six consecutive Top 100 albums that ran until 1986; during that time, they scored two other Top 100 singles, "Joystick" and "Let It All Blow." In 1985, Fearman and Frederick left the band; they were replaced by Marlon McClain and Keith Harrison, respectively. The Dazz Band switched labels to Geffen in 1986. That year they had their final charting album, Wild and Free. Soon after its release, the band switched to RCA. The group failed to have another hit and quietly faded away.

The Pogues With The Dubliners

Uff , no si habíais visto esta joyita !!

Pepe Deluxé - Queen of the Wave

by Jon O'Brien
Self-described as an "esoteric pop opera in three parts," based on a cult 19th century novel about the lost civilization of Atlantis and featuring instruments including the Tesla Coil Synthesizer, Edison's Ghost Machine, and the Psychical Predictor, it's unlikely that 2012 will produce a more unashamedly "bonkers" record than Scandinavian duo Pepe Deluxé's fourth album, Queen of the Wave. Their first release to feature the new lineup of Finnish founding member James Spectrum and Swedish musician Paul Malmström (who replaced JA-Jazz) throws in everything but the kitchen sink on 12 experimental tracks that recall the cut-and-paste approach of the Avalanches, the inventive big beat of Fatboy Slim, and the avant-garde tendencies of the Go! Team. Occasionally, the pair's eccentric streak threatens to become too overwhelming, particularly on "The Storm," which veers from theatrical show tune to Hammer horror score to proggy wig-out in three chaotic minutes. But for the most part, the album cleverly manages to combine the sublime with the ridiculous. "Contain Thyself" and "Iron Giant" are convincing, if unexpected, forays into medieval acoustic folk, the wonderfully camp "My Flaming Thirst" is the best James Bond theme Shirley Bassey never recorded, while "Go Supersonic" is a brilliantly playful slice of art pop that borrows the melodies from Air's "Sexy Boy" and merges it with shouty CSS-esque vocals and an authentic '60s girl group production. But the most mellow track, "In the Cave," is likely to receive the most attention, thanks to its use of the Great Stalacpipe Organ (the world's largest instrument, found in the Luray Caverns of Virginia), which provides a unique and suitably creepy atmosphere to the haunting neo-classical interlude. Those only aware of Pepe Deluxé through their Levi-assisted one-hit wonder won't know what hit them, but fans who have continued to keep up with their abstract brand of electronica should enjoy most of the ride.

Paul Weller confiesa que es alcohólico

¿Que os parece su último trabajo? ¿Se nota la noticia? A mi particularmente me gusta. No tiene ese sonido tan 70´s suena más 90s con temas que no desentonan en la pista de baile.

Paul Weller confiesa que es alcohólico

Paul Weller confiesa que es alcohólico

¿Que os parece su último trabajo? ¿Se nota la noticia? A mi particularmente me gusta. No tiene ese sonido tan 70´s suena más 90s con temas que no desentonan en la pista de baile.

Paul Weller confiesa que es alcohólico

Revolution by Dr. John

El gran Dr. está de nuevo en el hospital ejerciendo
Revolution by Dr. John

Ben Kweller

Biography
by Linda Seida
Children are often raised in musical families, but few receive the same introduction to music as singer/songwriter Ben Kweller. Before he was old enough to enter kindergarten, a young Kweller emulated Nils Lofgren (who, during his time with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, would hang out with Kweller's father) by playing his toy version of the guitar. He also played piano, and by the age of eight, Kweller had begun penning his own songs. The following year, he received a nod of encouragement from Billboard magazine when it conferred an honorable mention on the youth for his entry into Billboard's yearly songwriting competition. By the time he hit his teenage years, Kweller was an accomplished guitarist and had begun playing drums as well. He pulled together his first band, Mirage, and followed up with groups like Green Eggs & Ham and Foxglove. All the while, he honed the skills that would later launch his respected solo career.

With help from bassist Bryan Blur and drummer John Kent, Kweller established Radish in 1993. The group made its mark on the local Dallas scene, not far from Kweller's hometown of Greenville, TX. In 1994, the musical wunderkind and his teenaged outfit released the Hello EP through Practice Amp Records. That same year, the label released the full-length album Dizzy, which convinced producer Roger Greenawalt to partner with the group. Under his wing, Radish produced another demo and inked a contract with Mercury Records during the summer of 1996. Ben Kweller was still a teenager at the time, having turned 15 years old that June.

Mercury Records released Restraining Bolt the following spring, and Kweller led Radish through European and American tours (as well as several late-night TV appearances, including The Conan O'Brian Show and Late Night with David Letterman). Despite scoring a Top 40 hit in the U.K. with "Little Pink Stars," Radish failed to enjoy significant success at home, and changing tides at their label (Polygram, Mercury's parent company, was absorbed into Universal Music Group in 1998) prevented them from releasing another album. When the group disbanded in 1999, Kweller headed east to Guilford, CT, where he stayed only a short time before relocating to Brooklyn, NY. Not yet 20 years old, he signed with Island Records as a solo artist.

Ben Kweller launched his solo career with a series of EPs, some of which reprised the material that Radish had written but not released. His heartland hooks and folksy flourishes made fans out of several artists, and Kweller soon found himself touring with the likes of Juliana Hatfield, Guster, Kristin Hersh, and Evan Dando. He inked a deal with ATO Records in 2001 and released one final EP before issuing Sha Sha, his solo full-length debut, in 2002. More touring followed, as did a collaboration with Ben Folds and Ben Lee known as the Bens. Kweller's sophomore effort, the subdued On My Way, followed in spring 2004 and was supported by a co-headlining tour with Death Cab for Cutie. Two years later, he returned with his self-titled third album, on which he played all the instruments. Kweller furthered his experimentation with 2009's Changing Horses, which saw the songwriter embracing country music and employing a pedal steel guitarist. The singer continued to explore pop music on 2012's Go Fly a Kite, which found Kweller dabbling in everything from power pop to alt-country.

Islands - "This Is Not A Song"

Review
by Tim Sendra
Albums born out of sorrow can usually go one of two ways: the principals can wallow in their grief and create unlistenable, hard-to-bear work or they can find a way to make their pain relatable and universal while writing some good tunes, too. On Islands' fourth album, A Sleep & a Forgetting, Nick Thorburn does a pretty good job of the latter. The album deals with the dissolution of his marriage and the upheavals in his life that followed, and unlike previous albums where his words would dance around meanings and emotions, and the music was full of weirdness and artifice, Thorburn and the rest of the band play it straight all the way through. They stick to a basic guitars-drums-keys setup most of the time, creating quietly tender backing for Thorburn to bleed over. The ache in his simply sung vocals is apparent from the very start; the anguish in his words can't be ignored. The opening lines of "Can't Feel My Face" ("I miss my wife/I miss my best friend every night/I miss my home/I miss my own bed and my old life") are among the saddest, most obvious and true lyrics you'll ever hear. A little artless perhaps, but they hit you like a surprise punch in the gut. The rest of the album's lyrics paint a similarly bleak picture, but instead of being a total drag, the light and peaceful touch of the music makes the suffering sound pleasant. There's a gentle lilt to many of the songs that make them sound like lullabies of a sort. You can almost imagine Thorburn singing "In a Dream It Seemed Real" or "No Crying" to himself late at night to help bring on some calm. The few songs that break the mood of melancholic introspection come as a relief; the jaunty piano of "Hallways" and the bouncing doo wop feel of "Can't Feel My Face" keep the record from being a total mopefest and let a tiny bit of sunlight creep in. The ending of "Never Go Solo," as the hooky chorus unspools, even sounds a little hopeful. Mostly though, the record is a highly listenable, completely heartbreaking tour of Thorburn's shattered life. If you're going through the same thing he was, you might want to steer clear until you feel a little better. Anyone with a little distance from their own pain will find much to admire in the honesty and craft of the album.

Will Hoge - When I Get My Wings

Review
by Andrew Leahey
If it ain't broke, Will Hoge ain't gonna fix it. Number Seven takes most of its cues from the six albums before it, pairing grizzled country-rockers with the occasional world-weary ballad. In an effort to turn over at least one new leaf, Hoge tackles bigger issues than his love life on a handful of tracks, imagining himself as an immigrant under arrest for crossing "The Illegal Line," and a down-in-the-dumps homeless man reflecting upon his broken "American Dream." Most of the time, though, the lyrics trace his own history as a troubadour of the American bar circuit, meaning there are a lot of faithless women, beer drinking, and highway driving throughout these 11 songs. The most convincing part of the package is Hoge's voice --- a white-soul baritone with enough husk and grit to warrant the blues clichés that occasionally surface in his melodies --- and his band provides appropriate backdrops throughout, texturing the rock songs with layered Telecaster guitars and polishing the ballads with smooth pedal steel. Those who criticize heartland rockers like Bruce Springsteen for being too overzealous will have similar complaints about Number Seven, which is anthemic in the same sort of chest-thumping, roadworn way, but these songs hold their own against some of Hoge's best work.

tindersticks - Medicine

¿A qué os recuerda la intro?

by Thom Jurek
The Something Rain, Tindersticks' ninth album, stubbornly holds fast to the group's branded, nocturnal avant-pop, one that holds within it everything from subtly textured electronics and touches of jazz to cabaret, chanson, and melancholy indie pop. Vocalist Stuart Staples' signature dulcet baritone is as haunting as ever: it shivers almost constantly atop a mix that contains everything from carefully layered keyboards, bowed bass and cellos to spidery guitars, vibes, minimal drum kits, reeds, and loops. That Tindersticks' sonic universe is so carefully attended and guarded doesn't mean there isn't growth or daring -- this is the most urgent recording they've made in over a decade -- it's just that it's (mostly) very subtle. For instance, the album opens with the nine-minute "Chocolate." The music is a soundtrack accompanying a spoken word vocal by David Boulter. He relates a narrative with a startling punch line. Saxophones, acoustic guitars, glockenspiel, bass, piano, and organ all shimmer and slip beneath his calm narration. It's a rather brave way to open a recording. "This Fire of Autumn" is an uncharacteristically uptempo number, driven by bass and guitars with an organ and other keys shifting through the backdrop and highlighted by a snare. The shock comes on the refrain, where Staples' protagonist is propelled ever forward into a dangerous possibility of love. As if to accentuate this, he is joined on the refrain by a female backing chorus in full lounge-R&B croon à la Leonard Cohen. "A Night So Still," with its cheap drum machine loops, reverbed guitars, and keyboards is nonetheless a seductive and powerful tune. So purposefully restrained is its seductive narrative, it creates a nearly unbearable tension that doesn't release. "Medicine," the single, is a languid, velvety ballad. It's a fine contrast to the proceeding cut; "Frozen" could be remix by a '90s drum'n'bass producer, and its gently dissonant saxophones and smoky, down-in-the-mix vocal by Staples would make it a great 12". "Come Inside," with its gently undulating Rhodes piano, evokes the tender atmospherics of jazz pianist Hampton Hawes' Universe album. The set closes in soundtrack mode again with "Goodbye Joe," an instrumental that directly evokes Ennio Morricone's spaghetti westerns. The Something Rain's grace, elegance, and beauty are enhanced throughout by its subtle but certain spirit of chance.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Dream On

Nuevo vídeo de su excelente disco

Shooter Jennings - The Deed and The Dollar

Su nuevo trabajo