W♥M (Archive)

Morrissey and Marr

Please Help the Cause Against Lonliness (demo)

If you haven't been paying attention, you know that I'm actually a pretty big Smiths fan. I was pretty excited to find out there are a few Morrissey and Johnny Marr news!

EMI Records is releasing Morrissey's Bona Drag: 20th Anniversary on vinyl and compact disc on October 4^th, 2010. Details on Julia Riley's website True to You. New tracks are: "Happy Lovers At Last United", "Lifeguard On Duty", "Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness" (demo), "Oh Phoney", "The Bed Took Fire", and "Let The Right One Slip In" (alternate long mix).

Of course, if you are already a fan, like myself, you probably already have those tracks via bootleg. And, of course, you'll buy it all again.

Hot on the heels of the release, Morrissey is doing some rare promotional appearances, including on Steve Lamacq on October 1st and Radcliffe & Maconie show on October 4th. Look out for even more television and radio appearances as they are finalized.

Can't wait to get my hands on the reissue. I hope it also comes with a "tacky badge".

Not to be outdone by his former songwriting partner, legendary guitarist Johnny Marr will be releasing a charity single, "Tendency To Be Free", from the forthcoming Centrepoint album, 1969: Key to Change. Both items, I think, are released October 4^th, the same day as Bona Drag.

Centrepoint has been helping homeless young people since 1969, hence the title, 1969: Key to Change. Other notable mention is that each song covered on the compilation album are all from 1969. Quite interested in hearing Ian Brown's version of "The Year 2525" and Get Cape Wear Cape Fly's version of "Space Oddity". Johnny Marr is doing a cover of Rabbit Mackay, a singer I've never heard of, but should be worth checking out.

It looks like the album is only available digitally, but on the bright side, it's reasonably priced at £7.99 (with half the money going directly to Centrepoint). Full tracklisting and additional details from fairsharemusic.com.

PS, I've flagged this item for discussion on our upcoming podcast.

vu () ♥ itsmorrisseysworld.com ♥ johnny-marr.com

Villagers at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (9/22/10)

Villagers: Becoming A Jackal          Tour Dates 09/24/10 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern & 09/27/10 Toronto, ON @ Drake Underg& 09/28/10 Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks & 09/29/10 Montreal, QC @ Casa Popolo & 10/19/10 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw$ 10/20/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box* 10/21/10 Solana, CA @ Belly Up Tavern * 10/22/10 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse * 10/24/10 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit * 10/26/10 Austin, TX @ Emos * 10/27/10 Houston, TX @ Warehouse* 10/28/10 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater * 10/29/10 Little Rock, AR @ Revolution* 10/30/10 Nashville, TN @ Exit In * 11/01/10 Phila, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie $ 11/02/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory $ 11/03/10 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge $ 11/04/10 Boston, MA @ Great Scott $ & = solo * = Full band w/ Givers, Ra Ra Riot $ = Full band headline Discography [2010] Becoming a Jackal

Before Conor J. O'Brien took the stage at the 400 Bar in rainy Minneapolis, I was already sold on the fact that his band, The Villagers is doing quite well in the UK. After all, it's not everyday you get nominated for the Mercury Prize award.

The two support acts were Brianna Tagg and Modern Monsters. Both did acoustically, and both had corresponding acoustic partners. The latter did two covers: a Soul Coughing and Jimi Hendrix cover. As for Tagg, she sometime sounds like angry folk. Unfortunately, she spends a lot of time tuning her guitar on stage, even her guitarist pointed out her "g-string" which got a bit of a laugh.

♥ Villagers at 400 Bar, Minneapolis (9/22/10)

By the time mister O'Brien took the stage, I was taken back by how small he was. I wouldn't normally make a deal out of it, but he even pointed it out when he admitted on stage that he was afraid his borrowed guitar would make him look like a hobbit. Apparently, Delta Airlines lost his guitar on his flight over to Minneapolis.

I should also explain that basically Conor O'Brien is Villagers. He wrote and played almost all of the instruments on his debut album, Becoming a Jackal, so to me, Villages is O'Brien. Just like another Conor (Oberst), aka Bright Eyes.

Anyroad, since it's just O'Brien and his acoustic guitar, all the songs lyric-heavy with lots of humming vocal tricks. The songs were also quite charming, they were all little stories. Some of them are heartfelt, some of them are serious, some of them are funny.

In particular my favorite was, "Cecilia and Her Selfhood", which, from my understanding is about a vandalism of one of two twin statues. It got the protagonist mad and he got his mates to head out to find the hooligans who did this awful thing. But finally the truth and punchline was revealed:

Where Cecilia used to stand
but her sister looks different
Please, tell me boys, if you can?
Is that a smile on her face?
Is that a hammer in her hand?

You can listen to this song exclusively on NPR.org, it's a bit long so it'll probably never be played on terrestrial radio.

As you can see from the setlist, there were supposed to be a two-song encore, but it was obvious to everyone that it wasn't going to happen when the house music set in.

Villagers' debut album is called Becoming a Jackal and out now on Domino Records.

vu () ♥ wearevillagers.com ♥ myspace.com/wearevillagers ♥ twitter.com/wearevillagers

Pomegranates and Colour Revolt at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (9/21/10)

♥ Pomegranates at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (9/21/10) Tour Dates 10/06/10 Macon, GA – The 567 10/07/10 Atlanta, GA – Star Bar 10/08/10 Charleston, SC – Tin Roof 10/09/10 Columbia, SC – Brookland Tav 10/10/10 Charlotte, NC – The Milestone 10/11/10 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 10/12/10 Washington, DC – Black Cat 10/14/10 Philadelphia, PA – M Room 10/15/10 New Haven, CT – Lily Pad 10/16/10 Portland, ME – Empire 10/17/10 Danbury, CT – Cousin Larry’s 10/18/10 Allston, MA – Great Scott 10/20/10 Pitts, PA – Garfield Artworks 10/21/10 New York, NY - CMJ 10/22/10 New York, NY - Rock Shop 10/23/10 Lemon Grove–Youngstwn, OH 11/01/10 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle* 11/02/10 Madison, WI – Frequency* 11/04/10 Minneapolis, MN – UofM* 11/05/10 Lincoln, NE – Zoo Bar* 11/06/10 Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge* 11/07/10 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive* 11/08/10 SLC, UT – Kilby Court* 11/09/10 Missoula, MT – Badlander* 11/10/10 Spokane, WA – Empryean Coffee* 11/11/10 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern* 11/12/10 Portland, OR – Msspi Studios* 11/14/10 Santa Cruz, CA – Crepe Place* 11/15/10 SF, CA – Rickshaw Stop* 11/16/10 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg* 11/17/10 San Diego, CA – The Cabash* 11/18/10 Phoenix, AZ – Rythem Room* 11/19/10 El Paso, TX – Black Market* 11/20/10 Austin, TX – Mohawk* 11/21/10 Denton, TX – Hailey’s* 11/22/10 Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone* 11/23/10 Lexington, KY – The Dame* 11/24/10 Cincinnati, OH – Southgate House* * w/ Oh No Oh My Discography [2008] Everything Is Alive [2009] Everybody Come Outside [2010] One of Us

Parking was a disaster last night in downtown Minneapolis. It's a Twins night and people were out in full with their baseball jerseys. But it was a nice night, so I didn't mind the long walk.

Chelsea Boys, from Minneapolis, opened up the 18+ gig, you'd get the impression that they were named after the Velvet Underground song "Chelsea Girls", but the low-fi dance trio seems like they're more comfortable in an 80s music video. The first song was plagued by a broken guitar string, which seems to drag on for ages as guitarist (Josh Atwood?) was putting on a fresh string.

I haven't seen Pomegranates for two years now, but they seem to come to Minneapolis quite often. They seem to have also grown up, in terms of age and music style. They sound more melodic and relaxed now (with the exception of the final "Everybody, Come Outside!" song from their sophomore album), and now incorporate a smoke machine in their gig. Gone is the loud megaphone.

Just for safe measure, I ended sampling their latest album, One of Us, out now on Afternoon Records, and it sounds like their brief setlist (of about six or seven songs) were from the One of Us.

I wasn't there to cover Colour Revolt, but I stuck around to check out what they're like. I'll tell you one thing: they're a pretty loud band. Sometime borderline hard rock/metal, with harmonizing "bro" vocals of Jesse Coppenbarger and Sean Kirkpatrick. Their second album is called The Cradle and is out on Dualtone Records, but with their full set of over ten songs, I can tell that they've written a ton of music outside of the two released albums.

Not really much to add about them, except that their stage setup had two non-shaded lights and made it hard to look at the stage. It did give a weird campfire-esque setting.

♥ Colour Revolt at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (9/21/10)

PS, I've been toying with the idea of mobile update, so if I'm at a show, I'll try and upload a photograph from the show. The photo are unedited and often very large. The mobile update for this show is located here.

vu () ♥ pomegranatesart.com / myspace.com/pomegranatesart ♥ myspace.com/colourrevolt

Live: Conor O'Brien at 400 Bar

Live upload: Conor O'Brien of the Villagers at 400 Bar, Minneapolis on 9/22

Live: Pomegranates at the 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis

This is Vu at the 7th St. I hope the picture shows up.

Girl in a Coma - As the World Falls Down (directed by Robert Rodriguez)

GIAC: As the World Falls Down       Discography [2007] Both Before I'm Gone [2009] Trio B.C. Read More Girl in a Coma Morrissey fans should spot the obvious reference to "Girlfriend in a Coma", and I'll have to admit that was the reason why I've been following the career of Girl in a Coma since 2004 through a handful of wonderful demos.

I just got word that one of my favorite band, Girl in a Coma, covered one of my favorite singer, David Bowie, all wrapped up by a new video by one of my favorite director, Robert Rodriguez.

The song is taken from their Adventures in Coverland series of cover 7", out on Blackheart Records (yes, that is Joan "Runnaway" Jett's record label).

I can only speculate about the Rodriguez video came about because GIAC's song, "Yo Oigo", appeared on the soundtrack to the trailer-turned-movie Machete. However, according to Spin.com, the director was already a big fan.

The music video came from last year's SXSW, where Rodriguez filmed clips of them, then followed up with their hometown gig in San Antonio. Basically, he surprised the girls with the video for "As the World Falls Down".

What's interesting about the music video, is that the audio is a mixture of GIAC's "BB" and maybe a live version of the Bowie cover. Check out the original studio version from Adventures in Coverland on Blackheart's website.

Here's the latest tour dates, check them out if they're coming to your town:

09/23: El Paso, TX @ House of Rock
09/24: Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico Gathering
09/29: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
09/30: Charlotte, NC @ The Casbah @ Tremont Hall
10/02: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/03: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/04: Newark, DE @ Mojo Main
10/05: Providence, RI @ Club Hell
10/08: Toledo, OH @ Frankie's
10/09: Newport, KY @ Southgate House
10/11: Hot Springs, AR @ Maxine’s
10/23: Helotes, TX @ Josabi's
10/30: Houston, TX @ Tom Bass Park Amphitheatre
11/05: Asbury Park, NJ @ The Wonder Bar
11/19: Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater (w/ The Dresden Dolls)
11/20: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's (w/ The Dresden Dolls)
11/21: Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa (w/ The Dresden Dolls)

(video appears after the break)

vu () ♥ girlinacoma.com ♥ myspace.com/girlsinacoma

NoiseTrade

Katie Herzig: Beautiful Inside

NoiseTrade has been connecting artists and fans with free music for two years now and with Version 2.0 (coming soon), they're building a better website for iPhone/iPad usability (yay!).

To get you excited, 25 free tracks from 25 different music artists for free at noisemakers.noisetrade.com. Unfortunately, I have not really heard of any these bands, outside of Lovedrug and Snowden, but for the price of free, I'll give it a shot.

Here is the list of bands on this free compilation:

Ben Rector, Bleu, The Civil Wars, Coal Train Railroad, David Mead, Derek Webb, Green River Ordinance, Joy Williams, Justin McRoberts, Kate York, Katie Herzig, The Last Royals, Lovedrug, Matt Wertz, Matthew Mayfield, Matthew Perryman Jones, Mike Farris, Mikky Ekko, Red Mountain Church, Sandra McCracken, Sleeping At Last, Snowden, Thad Cockrell, Trent Dabbs, Waterdeep

As for website, it still relies heavily on Flash (read: does not currently work on the iPad), and I did have it timed out when trying to download the 121mb zip file.

NoiseTrade asks only tip money if you enjoy what you hear.

vu () ♥ noisetrade.com

The Secret History at the Knitting Factory, Brooklyn (8/26/10)

Secret History:Johnny Anorak [2008] Desolation Town Ep [2010] The World That Never Was Read More The Secret History Everyone is raving about the fact that songwriter Michael Grace Jr., from the indiepop band My Favorite, has teamed up with Lisa Ronson...

Known for their maudlin sound and tragic lyrics, the Secret History took the stage in Brooklyn in a relatively fitting manner: bathed only in the light of a projected black-and-white French film. It made for a dramatic set-up, but after the first song, lead singer Michael Grace Jr. confessed that he was “scared of the dark,” and asked the stage crew for a more traditional backdrop. The break in theatrics provided a healthy dose of contrast to the band’s looming stage persona, which they often broke with silly anecdotes and self-aware dance moves.

Lisa Ronson sang lead on the majority of the songs, contrasting Grace’s animated antics with her own brand of sophistication. On slower songs like “Love Theme (from the World That Never Was),” her steady voice kept the melancholy song interesting and almost upbeat at times. She also showcased her ability to kick things up a notch, having no qualms about screaming her head off during “How I Saved My Life.”

With only one album, the setlist consisted primarily of The World That Never Was tracks, but they slipped in a new song from their upcoming album. With bouncy, almost-punk-like guitar riffs, it was noticeably different from their previous work, but Grace’s intricate songwriting seemed to remain intact within Ronson’s sparkling vocals. It was usually the times when the two sang together that the audience’s energy seemed to buzz. On songs like, “God Save the Runaways” and “Our Lady of Stalingrad,” Grace and Ronson kept things exciting with their palpable chemistry. For a band that seems to love singing about death and destruction, their performance seemed to leave the audience all warm and fuzzy inside.

♥ The Secret History at the Knitting Factory, Brooklyn (8/26/10)

kateg () ♥ thesecrethistory.net ♥ myspace.com ♥ facebook.com

The Social Network

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: On We March

"The Social Network" (aka "The Facebook Movie"), comes out October 1^st. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about, I mean, who would want to go see a movie about a website?

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have scored David Fincher's new film "The Social Network", I was expecting it to sound more or less like the Dust Brothers' "Fight Club" soundtrack, but surprisingly it's not as industrial. Lots of bass and even some keys. Since the music is intended as background music, there aren't any lyrics on these songs, based on the songs I've listened to. You can find out for yourself, as you can download a five-track sampler for free here.

There'll be three packages (all purchases comes with a bonus digital download), the most interesting release is the HD Bluray audio release. I'm not opposed to the highest audio format, but I really can't tell the difference, so I'll be just as happy with the cheap CD version ($8 vs $20).

Mister Nine Inch Nail has these words to say:

This is what Atticus and I have been working on for the last few months. We had a great time working with David Fincher on this and the film turned out excellent - something we're very proud of. It opens in theatres Oct 1 and you should check it out.

Musically, this all came out of our secret laboratory - electronic in basis, but mostly organic sounding. Lots of experiments and emphasis on sound fraying around the edges while focusing on the proper emotional tone for the various scenes.

Regarding the purchase options, sorry about the "clunkiness" of not offering the full record digital download pre-sale (and having to visit Amazon). My agenda was to be able to offer this for the lowest possible price and this was the best way to achieve that. Amazon has been a great partner with past projects and I appreciate your understanding.

- Trent Reznor, 9.16.10

I won't be in line to see "The Social Network", and certainly not interested in a Twitter movie either.

(Parody video after the break)

vu () ♥ nin.com ♥ nullco.com/TSN

W♥M089: British Invasion

W♥M089 [download (27min, 18mb)]

Just a quickie, Britpopcast #13:

BRITPOP.com.au
The theme for the 25th September show is "Let's Dance to Joy Division". Seems ironic to me, considering that you don't really dance to Joy Division. You sort of just mope and cry, don't you?

JAMES
I just mentioned James' tour dates and brand new album here. Hear some excerpts from both the 'day' and 'night' album, all good!

THE CHARLATANS
A first look at The Charlatans' new album, Who We Touch. We've previously mentioned their full world tour dates, but for saftey, here's what left of their US dates:

09/18 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
09/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
09/21 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
09/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

BELLE & SEBASTIAN
Our song choice, "Write About Love".

Bonus round
Sydney's Halloween Monster Mash is on October 30^th. Featuring Dappled Cities and Spod (and a billion other bands). Full details at halloweenmonstermash.com.au.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic