While side projects, Frog Eyes and Handsome Furs, have certainly kept the beast at bay, we're itching for new Wolf Parade nevertheless. Sub Pop just announced that the follow-up to 2005's Apologies to the Queen Mary will drop June 17th, and it will be titled, At Mount Zoomer (apparently a reference to the recording studio, Mt Zoomer, where the gang recorded the album).
Here is the first single, "Call It A Ritual" -
Wolf Parade has also announced tour dates:
July 7: Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom July 8: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues July 9: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue July 12: Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom July 13: Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park July 15: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom July 17: San Francisco, Ca @ Fillmore July 18: Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda July 19: Hollywood, CA @ Henry Fonda July 20: San Diego, CA @ Cane's July 21: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre July 24: Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom July 25: Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa July 26: Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon July 28: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse July 29: Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo July 30: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory July 31: New York, NY @ Terminal 5 Aug 2: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club Aug 3: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis Aug 9: Toronto, ON @ Koolhaus
Playing on repeat in mC offices this morning is a UK electronica/soul outfit called Soulsavers. I realize that not only does the combination of electronica and soul sound strange, it in fact sounds like a complete oxymoron. Somehow, though, their 2007 album It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land sounds like gospel music from the year 3030. Witness:
Soulsavers, "Revival" (V2 Records Int'l)
The band itself is comprised of Rich Machin and Ian Glover, and this sophomore release features the vocal talents of Mark Lanegan (he of Screaming Trees fame, and more recently, The Gutter Twins - another mC fave).
Sadly, today we mourn the passing of Albert Hofmann, without whom some of the greatest albums of the 1960s would have never been possible. Thanks, Albert. Rest in peace. -The middleCoast
Make no mistake, new music being released today is some of the best in decades. It goes without saying (though, I'm saying it anyway) that contemporary musicians owe a great deal to their predecessors. So today we take a look back at some of the most influential and significant artists that established pop music as an art form.
In 1977, I was still a fetus developing ears. Meanwhile, a man by the name of Lester Bangs was on the road with The Clash. I'll let him describe it:
"It was one of those performances for which all the serviceable critical terms like 'electrifying' are so pathetically inadequate, and after it was over I realized the futility of hitting Strummer for that interview I kept putting off on the 'politics' of the situation. The politics of rock 'n roll, in England or America or anywhere else, is that a whole lot of kids want to be fried out of their skins by the most scalding propulsion they can find, for a night they can pretend is the rest of their lives, and whether the next day they go back to work in shops or boredom on the dole or American TV doldrums in Mom 'n Daddy's living room nothing can cancel the reality of that night in the revivifying flames when for once if only then in your life you were blasted outside of yourself and the monotony which defines most life anywhere at any time, when you supped on lightning and nothing else in the realms of the living or dead mattered at all."
The Clash, "Police & Thieves" (From The Clash)
Lyrics:
Police and thieves in the streets
Oh yeah! Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition Police and thieves in the street Oh yeah! Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition
From genesis to revelation The next generation will be hear me From genesis to revelation The next generation will be hear me
And all the crowd comes in day by day No one stop it in anyway And all the peacemaker turn war officer Hear what I say
Vocal ad lib
Police, police, police and thieves oh yeah Police, police, police and thieves oh yeah From genesis oh yeah Police, police, police and thieves oh yeah
Scaring, fighting the nation Shooting, shooting their guns and ammunition
Police, police, police and thieves oh yeah Police, police, police and thieves oh yeah Here come, here come, here come The station is bombed Get out get out get out you people If you dont wanna get blown up
And little bonus material from The Clash for you. Turn up your speakers, get up out of your chair, and freak out everyone around you by jumping up and down or breaking something (like a number 2 pencil - damn you, standardized tests!):
Make no mistake, new music being released today is some of the best in decades. It goes without saying (though, I'm saying it anyway) that contemporary musicians owe a great deal to their predecessors. So today we take a look back at some of the most influential and significant artists that established pop music as an art form.
Before the Stones turned into a parody of themselves, they released this gem in 1969, and a young Marty Scorsese would never be the same. Oh, and Lin Brehmer of XRT (one of the last of the great, true deejays) also just happens to think this is the "greatest song ever".
The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter" (From Let It Bleed)
Lyrics:
Oh, a storm is threatning My very life today If I dont get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away It's just a shot away War, children, it's just a shot away It's just a shot away
Ooh, see the fire is sweepin' Our very street today Burns like a red coal carpet Mad bull lost its way
War, children, it's just a shot away It's just a shot away War, children, it's just a shot away It's just a shot away
Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away
Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away
Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away
The floods is threatning My very life today Gimme, gimme shelter Or I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away It's just a shot away It's just a shot away It's just a shot away It's just a shot away I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away It's just a kiss away It's just a kiss away It's just a kiss away It's just a kiss away Kiss away, kiss away
Be sure to check out some of Lin's Bins, too. They're brilliant radio. Here's an example (it's my favorite because it's about pizza):
Make no mistake, new music being released today is some of the best in decades. It goes without saying (though, I'm saying it anyway) that contemporary musicians owe a great deal to their predecessors. So today we take a look back at some of the most influential and significant artists that established pop music as an art form.
George Harrison, "What Is Life" (From All Things Must Pass)
Lyrics:
What I feel, I cant say But my love is there for you anytime of day But if its not love that you need Then Ill try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I know, I can do If I give my love now to everyone like you But if its not love that you need Then Ill try my best to make evrything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I feel, I cant say But my love is there for you any time of day But if its not love that you need Then Ill try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side Oh tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
(fade:) Oh tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me who am I without you by my side
It's Not Easy Being Green: Green Apple Festival Celebrates Earth Day
In the clear Spring sky, the sun shone brightly on the majestic lion. As he stretched and sunned himself on the perfectly placed boulder, lazily glancing at his surroundings, I found myself wondering if this king had any awareness of what had become of his kingdom. I'm often conflicted at zoos. On the one hand is the feeling of pity for the displaced animals relegated to their makeshift habitats, and mild indignation at humanity for creating such a façade. On the other is the knowledge that this lion could instead be starving to death in its natural setting, or facing death at the hands of a poacher, so perhaps the zoo may very well be the ideal kingdom after all.
This particular dichotomy is not all that uncommon, to be sure, but it was likely overlooked on Sunday, April 20th, at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Though the lions were relegated to the background, the zoo was an appropriate setting for the third annual Green Apple Festival. Together with the Earth Day Network they presented a free day of music and eco-awareness exhibits as part of a national, eight-city push to draw attention to climate change and the human impact on the environment. Speakers included freshly-shaven Bears QB, Kyle Orton, a few corporate sponsors, and Senator Dick Durbin, a staunch environmental activist who gave a rousing speech displaying his passion for the topic. Musicians included Meshell Ndegeocello, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and headliners Three (comprised of Grateful Dead drummer, Bill Kreutzmann, Allman Brothers bassist, Oteil Burbridge, and Max Creek guitarist, Scott Murawski).
Given the combination of an outdoor Earth Day festival and live performances from jam bands (not to mention the date conveniently being 4/20), the crowd was comprised primarily of…hmmm…what's the word? Oh, right: hippies. Our friend the lion had a clear view of tie-dyed tees, white kids with dreadlocks, and hacky-sackers, all noodling for the Earth, and a whiff of the crisp, late-April air was filled with patchouli, body odor, and other recognizable scents associated with hippies and the aforementioned date. Unsuspecting zoo-goers gingerly steered their strollers through the crowd, and headed to less perilous territories such as the Lion House or the Bear Habitat.
Wondering among the festival's exhibits I was incessantly handed flyers promoting products or events designed to fight climate change. Wisely, most were made from recycled paper; Chase Bank definitely won the award for greenest flyer, as the entire thing was manufactured from seeds – in fact, it came with instructions to plant the card in soil and watch its wildflowers bloom. Unfortunately, despite the sponsors being clever enough to at least display the "printed-on-recycled-paper" logos on their flyers, many ended up strewn along the ground. And the zoo itself continued to sell water in plastic bottles, and trashcans were far more accessible than recycling containers.
This new paradox sits rather nicely next to my earlier dichotomy. As I cynically sift through my collection of business cards and flyers (not to mention my 14 laser-printed pages of press material), I have hope that the other attendees will also recycle or reuse. I have hope that zoo groundskeepers sorted the litter that remained, rather than dumping it all into the same trashcan. I have hope that the call for change not only rang true, but also inspired people to action. I have hope that my skepticism for the corporate sponsors is unfounded. And I have hope that the lion's kingdom can be saved by the same human hands that have been pushing it towards extinction.
More of Evil Urges is finding its way through the cracks of the interweb. Set to be released June 10th on ATO, this is likely the most anticipated album of My Morning Jacket's career, so it is no surprise that most of us have a hard time waiting any longer than we have to. Another month-and-a-half is too long to wait, we say. For now, though, we only have a coupla tracks to keep us sated. Here is the title track:
Make sure you take your time on that NPR site - there are some good finds to be had.
Other than the sets at Coachella and Bonnaroo, MMJ won't be stateside again until August. They'll be playing to their hometown crowd in Louisville 8/16, and just announced this week is a Red Rocks show 8/21 (with Black Keys opening).
All right, sports fans, April has been, and continues to be, an excellent month. The Jayhawks won the NCAA Championship, the Cubbies are in first place, and - better yet - we have upcoming releases from the likes of The Black Angels, Tokyo Police Club, The Roots, Portishead, Langhorne Slim, and Santogold. Let's get into it:
Tokyo Police Club "Tessellate" - Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek)
Sunday may be Earth Day festivities, but just as in need of saving are local and independently-owned Record Stores. So Saturday, April 19th is officially Record Store Day. Hundreds of record stores across the country will join forces to promote and celebrate the cultural significance and individual inspiration derived from these bastions of cool. Each participating store will have special events or live performances to commemorate the day. Click here to find the store nearest you.
Now we concede that more of our music dollars go to iTunes than we like to admit. So if you're like us, take advantage of this event to get away from your computer into the big, wide world (sans web) and do your part to keep record stores alive. Artists like Wayne Coyne, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen are joining in the effort. Here are a few quotes to get you inspired:
Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz, others...) “My local independent record shop (Honest Jons) is a library, where you can go to listen to music, learn about it, exchange ideas about it and be inspired by it. I think independent record shops will outlive the music industry as we know it because long term their value to people is far greater, because even in our era of file-sharing and blogs, you cant replace the actual look on someone’s face when they are playing something they really rate and think you should listen to it too. It’s special.”
Cameron Crowe (writer, director) "The record store. Where true fandom begins. It's the soul of discovery, and the place where you can always return for that mighty buzz. The posters. The imports. The magazines. The discerning clerks, paid in vinyl, professors of the groove. Long live that first step inside, when the music envelopes you and you can't help it. You walk up to the counter and ask the question that begins the journey -- "what is that you're playing?" Long live the record store, and the guys and girls who turn the key, and unlock those dreams, every day."
Spinning on repeat in middleCoast's Uptown offices this morning is a rather average song, if we're honest. But it does feature our favorite hook of the year. The song is off of the latest effort from Brit garage/punk rocker duo, The Kills, Midnight Boom, and it's called "Cheap And Cheerful". Singer, Allison Mosshart, belts:
I want you to be crazy 'Cause you're boring baby when you're straight I want you to be crazy 'Cause you're stupid baby when you're sane
The days of Grunge are (thankfully) past us, but Seattle continues to crank out quality bands that make their way across the Middle. Thee Emergency is the latest to demand and command our attention. With their sophomore release, SOLID, due out in early May, the quintet's psychedelic-soul-meets-Detroit-garage sounds like what would've happened if Danger Mouse had produced The Libertines. What really establishes their sound as unique, though, is lead singer, Dita Vox. The sultry songstress deftly switches from soulful pleas to fiery accusations like no one since Miss Tina Turner herself. Vox is the perfect lead for the band as guitarist Sonic Smith wails through slow-burning solos and deliberate hooks, Nick Detroit counts time on bass, (new member) Dr. S works the keys and sax adding a harmonious Motown element, and Tom T. Drummer's barely contained whirlwind drumming surely calls for a paternity test - there simply has to be some of Keith Moon's DNA in there somewhere.
While most of Indie Rock comes to us from Sub Pop or some label similar, Thee Emergency maintain a truly Indie identity, self-releasing this latest effort on their label, The Heavy Souls.
Word has it that their live show is worth witnessing, as well, but with no shows on the bill east of the continental divide, we'll just have to settle for the YouTube clip below.
There is a downside to having unlimited access to so much good music in our post-contemporary society. With easy downloads and file-sharing and Shuffle functions so prevalent, new music comes at the ear in a flood. Add to that our ADD-riddled attention spans that have almost become a necessity in this multi-tasking digital era, and what gets lost is the simple act of sitting down, putting on a new album, and doing nothing other than listening to the recording.
I am guilty as anyone of it: often downloading multiple albums in a single day, playing KEXP while working on something else, or lazily choosing Shuffle on iTunes or the iPod. What happens is that music becomes background score. Maybe it's having grown up on Hollywood movies and always wishing my own life had a soundtrack. Or maybe that repressed dream of becoming a deejay drives me towards the mixtape rather than the album.
But for years, when I did choose to play an album specifically, it was based on what else I was doing - deejaying a soundtrack to my life as best I could. Probably not all that uncommon, I suppose: if I was getting ready to go out for the night, put on Outkast or N.E.R.D. or The Who; if I was home alone writing, something chill like DJ Shadow or TV On The Radio did the trick; if I had company and needed something that didn't distract from good conversation, put on Grand National or Spiritualized. You get the point.
Recently, however, a new record has reminded me the enrichment that comes with simply listening to an album as a piece of art. And why not, really? We go to a museum and gaze amazed at a Picasso painting or a Calder sculpture, attempting to absorb every bit of it. We go to the theater and focus only on the film presented to us by the Coen Brothers, turning off the cell phones and postponing the potty break so as not to miss a frame. So why do we feel that those works of art should carry any more weight than modern music? Why should we disrespect Pet Sounds by merely playing it in the background while we vacuum the rug?
The album that created this mini-epiphany for me was Untrue, by Burial. Little is known about this critically-acclaimed Hyperdub recording artist, an anonymous producer from London. In a rare interview late last year, Burial spoke of his anonymity:
"I love...old jungle and garage tunes, when you didn't know anything about them, and nothing was between you and the tunes. I liked the mystery; it was more scary and sexy, the opposite of other music. Only about five people outside of my family know I make tunes, I think. I hope."
What Burial created with Untrue is experimental electronica, a cohesive collection of atmospheric dubstep tracks with ghostly vocal loops and shadowy ambient motifs that are quite plainly haunting. Listening to the album in headphones for the first time reminded me of the first time I heard Dark Side Of The Moon in headphones: quite frankly, they are more than a little disturbing. But what it also does is draw you in, not allowing itself to pass as merely background music. The album would come to its finish and I'd immediately start it over, not wanting it to end. And when I wasn't listening to it, I'd here bits and pieces of it in my head. I'd hear the clank and hum of the washer/dryer and think I was hearing a sample. I'd hear a low-flying jet wash out the giggling of a neighbor-girl across the alley and slide back into the album. The very sound of silence called to mind the hypnotic dreamscapes of Untrue.
What separates Untrue from other albums, though, isn't my newfound fascination with dubstep, but rather that sense of cohesion that establishes an album as art. I'm not specifically talking about the Concept Album, per se, though some certainly may be included. I'm simply talking about albums that work as Capital-A Art. The reason we don't view all albums as Picassos is because 99% of them are nowhere close. Most albums are just a collection of songs arranged in an order intended to keep the consumer interested long enough to listen to the whole thing.
Along with Dark Side Of The Moon are the classics like Pet Sounds or Blonde On Blonde that established pop music as Art. Here are a few cohesive albums of the past decade or so that I view as Art:
Radiohead, Kid A Radiohead, OK Computer Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Arcade Fire, Funeral Danger Mouse, The Gray Album Mos Def, Black On Both Sides DJ Shadow, Entroducing... The National, Boxer The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, self-titled (Honorable Mention: Guns 'n Roses, Appetite For Destruction)
If anyone out there has read this far, I'd love to hear others that you consider in that esteemed list. Please feel free to drop them into the comments.
Sometimes there is no reason to make any attempts towards creating something wholly new and unique. Sometimes you're just better off creating your own new and unique versions of the established Good. In the history of American music, The Band and Bob Dylan (who, incidentally, was announced yesterday as a Pulitzer Prize winner) raised the bar to a height few have reached since. So sometimes reaching for that level still pays off with more Good.
Last month, Team Love Records released the self-titled debut from The Felice Brothers. The Band and Dylan influences are apparent (and rampant), but really - what's so wrong about sounding like The Band or Bob Dylan?
The band-approved provided bio appears to sum things up quite nicely and directly: "Simone, Ian and James Felice are the three eldest boys from a family of seven, born carpenter’s sons in the wilds of New York’s Catskill Mountains. Less than a year ago, the Brothers adopted a runaway dice-thrower and chancer, a 19 year old called Christmas. They convinced him to quit his job and the motley quartet forsook all else but song and moved their Sunday BBQ sing-alongs from their dad’s upstate house out onto the streets and subways of NYC. After months of toil, living in a 1987 special education bus, with arrests, and genuine panhandler fun, a freelance music writer named Gabe Soria (Mojo, Vice) stumbled upon the boys singing and barking their wares at a farmers market in Brooklyn and one thing led to another. Now the Felice Brothers and blood brother Christmas all live, tour, sing, write and gamble together on their little bus."
Between the Pitchfork Music Festival and Lollapalooza, Summer 2008 in Chicago is shaping up to be the hipster music capitol of the world. Today, the lineup for Lollapalooza was officially released confirming that Radiohead is, in fact, headlining this year's show. Let's just take a moment to be grateful for that one... Okay. Also, Nine Inch Nails and Wilco had previously been rumored to be on the bill, and these both prove to be true.
We're presently too excited about the list of exceptional bands to decide which to blog about, so check back later for more on the summer festivals.
The beauty of The Hideout (other than two-dollar cans of Old Style - though, we preferred the PBR, but it seems a touchy subject 'round the bar, so we'll leave that alone) is that the intimate space and low ceiling make it feel as though you're watching your friends jam in their basement. Well last night we had some remarkably talented friends.
Opening the night was DC collective The Federal Reserve member, Vandaveer: the moniker singer/songwriter, Mark Charles, goes under. His album, Grace & Speed, came out last year to much critical acclaim, and is well worth the purchase price. With a velvety voice and storytelling lyrics, Vandaveer commanded the attention of the full (albeit lethargic) audience, the room falling silent to hear every bit of his performance. Imagine Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits or Bob Dylan, even, with just a microphone and acoustic guitar telling their tales; now imagine if they had a spectacular singing voice and it's a fair comparison to Vandaveer.
Don't take our word for it - here's an example: on a train somewhere in Europe, like it's just that simple...
After a few songs performed solo, Vandaveer became a trio, with two fellow Federal Reserve members joining Charles on stage. On percussion was These United States drummer, Robbie Cosenza, and singing backup vocals was the pitch-perfect Rose. With a voice like Stevie Nicks or Neko Case, Rose turned Vandaveer into a whole other beast, and the emotion and drama created between the two singers' vocal interplay was no less than moving.
The middleCoast has been raving about These United States for some time now, and last night they finally made their stop in Chicago. If The Hideout is somebody's basement, it likely belonged to Jesse Elliott's mom. Truly a family affair for the These US lead singer, having grown up in Elgin, friends from high school dotted the crowd, and at one point Mrs. Elliott brought her son a beer while he was on stage. Elliott announced the band members to the audience toward the end of their set - Cosenza on drums, Tom Hnatow on slide/guitars/piano - and finished with "And I'm Jesse and I know half of you, so stop clapping".
The band deftly worked through organic versions of tracks from their recent release, A Picture of the Three of Us At the Gate to the Garden of Eden. Joining These US on stage midway through their set, Vandaveer's Mark Charles added electric bass and backup vocals to the mix, and the folk-rock leaned much further toward the rock. When Hnatow took a seat at the ancient piano (a Hideout permanent fixture), their brand of Americana emitted a definite Springsteen influence. Closing their set with anthemic sing-along, "Burn This Bridge", did nothing to squelch that association, and finally the somnolent audience found their spirit belting out the chorus, at one with the performers.
Headlining the evening was Chicago-based songstress, Rachel Ries, and her band, The Brawny Angels. Ries and company produce a throwback sound mingling jazz standards of the 20s and 30s with a rootsy version of folk-rockabilly that is nothing short of impressive. Classically trained, Ries' vocals manage a variety and range of melodies as precise and exacting as any of the other instruments at play. After the humor and tomfoolery of the previous two acts, however, Ries appeared a bit too self-serious for our taste.
(Disclosure: Unfortunately, this less-than-professional reviewer decided to drink beer at the bar with members of These United States and Vandaveer after hearing only a handful of Ries' songs, and has little more to add here in regards to her performance. Apologies. For what it's worth, Jesse, Tom, Robbie, Mark, and Rose are all fantastic drinking mates.)
Los Angeles collective, The Lions, harmoniously blend global funk, old-school grooves, and jungle soul to brew a brand of world music that spans continents and decades. The release of Jungle Struttin' on Ubiquity Records in February is supposedly a rather impromptu collection of jams put together by the session artists at the label. Clearly the level of talent here is top-notch, and The Lions harvest a strand of dub reggae that will undoubtedly give you a contact high...
Each track fills the room with smoke, and lights dim and begin to give off a golden hue. Senses are simultaneously dulled and heightened as your mind departs your brain. Trancelike, your heart starts to beat in time with the tune. Feel your soul soar with the brass, while the bass carries (you forward in) time. The walls ooze, the ceiling drips, and you slip, falling to the floor. Prostrate, nose pressed against the hardwood, you stay put and postulate. You speculate on the smallest of things, focusing the retinas on the most minuscule spec of dust: what limitations we humans are afflicted with! We see only a shred of what is to be seen, hear only single note of the opera that is continually at play. Erecting yourself you rise and walk, slowly and deliberately, recognizing the colossus you've become over the dust mite, the Lilliputian you remain in the Gran' Scheme. Sit and sink into your chair, into the dense air that surrounds the sound emitting from your speakers. Inhale, exhale, repeat. Inhale, exhale...
In case you feel you're not getting enough soul in your indie rock (like that pretentious prick, Sasha Frere-Jones), then check out Brit funk-rockers, The Heavy. Combining the influences of Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, and Prince, the co-ed quintet just dropped their first full-length, Great Vengeance and Furious Fire, last month on the Ninja Tunes label. Like a more upbeat Gnarls Barkley, The Heavy blend whatever's left of neo-soul with blistering rock jams. The distorted guitars, lo-fi samples, horn riffs, and high-pitched muted wail of lead vocalist, Kevin Swaby set the mood for a retro urban atmosphere where John Shaft and Jules Winnfield would frequent.
With a performance that scorched the SXSW crowd last month, The Heavy are quickly becoming a favorite live act as well. Check them out in Chicago at The Darkroom May 9th.
Enjoy a couple of tracks for free here, but the album is only $6 at iTunes, and well worth it.
Today marks the release of album number 15 (apart from all the compilation and live releases) in the heralded repertoire of rock greats, R.E.M. - Accelerate. Remarkably, it's been 25 years since Murmur introduced us to Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry (who is no longer with the band, having retired in 1997 - that's right, they've been around so long that one of their band members has RETIRED). Since that 1983 debut, R.E.M. has been arguably the most influential American rock band of the past three decades, almost single-handedly inventing the genre known as Alternative. They altered both the way musicians made music, and the way the rest of us listened to it, instilling a wisdom and frailty to rock that simply didn't exist at that point in time.
Just look at some of the top singles... "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" "Losing My Religion" "The One I Love" "Man on the Moon" "Orange Crush" "Radio Free Europe" "Stand" "Nightswimming" "Driver 8" "The Great Beyond"
...or the list of bands R.E.M. has influenced (Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Pavement, Wilco - not to mention all of the bands that have since been influenced by those five) and history speaks for itself.
What is amazing is that it's now 2008 and R.E.M. is still making relevant and modern music. Even MORE amazing is this hypothetical: let's say that you are a modern day music fan but had never before heard R.E.M. (suspend your disbelief for a second). If you were listen to any number of their tracks - listed above or otherwise - you would just as easily assume they were recorded in the last five years as opposed to the last 25 years. They are still somehow relevant and modern in 2008. And these are songs from the 80s! Music from the 80s is in a genre completely unto itself because the rest of pop music made in the decade is so easily recognizable as something that could have only come from the 80s. R.E.M. exists out of time (oh, and they have an album called Out of Time, so maybe there's something interesting there).
From 1985, "Driver 8"
From 1987, "Finest Worksong"
Then from 1992, "Drive"
And now from 2008, their first single from Accelerate, "Supernatural Superserious":
Where their peers, U2 or Red Hot Chili Peppers, got stuck in the 2000s making essentially the same record over and over again, R.E.M. continues to give us something new. Enjoy.
While side projects, Frog Eyes and Handsome Furs, have certainly kept the beast at bay, we're itching for new Wolf Parade nevertheless. Sub Pop just announced that the follow-up to 2005's Apologies to the Queen Mary will drop June 17th, and it will be titled, At Mount Zoomer (apparently a reference to the recording studio, Mt Zoomer, where the gang recorded the album).
