woxy.com Lounge Acts

woxy.com has recently added an archive of their Lounge Acts. Visit the Lounge and listen to Quicktime and Windows versions of great in-studio perfomances by The Wedding Present, Low, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Wrens, Rogue Wave, Neko Case and many more.

While you are listening to the Lounge Acts, be sure to cast your vote for woxy.com as Internet Radio Station of the Year in this year's Plug Awards and stop by the Store to pick up some swank woxy.com stocking stuffers.

Rock on.

For Against

As I was going through the Livingroom Library, I pulled out a couple albums that I don't get out often enough: Echelon and December by For Against.

Their first full-length, Echelon, was released in 1985 on Independent Project Records, but would not have been out of place on Factory Records. It mixed smooth vocals with sharp bass lines, jangly guitars and just the right amount of feedback that was no doubt influenced by Joy Division, Gang of Four and the Cure.

In 1988 the band recorded and released their second LP, December. It showed a tremendous improvement in the band's sound and style, with the vocals becoming more prominent and intense at times, while still retaining their smoothness. The rhythm section tightened up and more obvious pop flourishes reminiscent of early R.E.M. were added which gained the record a lot of airplay on college radio stations nationwide.

Soon after December was completed, the band splintered. New members were brought on board to carry the band forward and to record several more albums that fit in nicely alongside the Coctueau Twins and Pale Saints and Kitchens of Distinction, but none matched the innocence and purity of the first two.

Both albums were out of print and have been recently re-released by Words On Music.

Echelons
For Against - Shine
For Against - Autocrat

December
For Against - Sabres
For Against - Clandestine High Holy

The Big Takeover

Hands down, The Big Takeover is the best music magazine around today. Jack Rabid has written and published the magazine for well over two decades. The print magazine is typically published twice a year with each issue presenting in-depth interviews with new and up-coming bands as well as those from the formative years past. Jack has recently re-tooled the website and will be augmenting the printed magazine with articles, reviews and editorials that may not have made it, or could have waited for, the print edition. Read more about The Big Takeover in an on-line edited version of an interview with Jack about the magazine's 25th anniversary. The full interview will be in the upcoming Issue 57. You can order subscriptions on-line or pick up the latest issue at your finer local music/magazine stores. If they don't have it - ask for it.



Bad Brains - Big Take Over

Comments? What Comments?

I enabled HaloScan commenting today and it looks as if it doesn't transfer over old comments. So, if any of you 3 people that regularly read this have left me a comment in the last 24 hours or so, kindly repost it. Otherwise, I may never know you did. Thanks.

It was 40 years ago today

Touring on the strengths of the 1965 Out of Our Heads smash hit (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones toured the U.S. for the second time that year. They played their second, and last, Dayton Ohio show on November 27th. Before playing an evening gig at Cincinnati's Riverfront Colliseum (their first Cincinnati appearance), they played Dayton's 6000 seat Hara Arena. Tickets for the show were $4 each. Only 3000 people showed up. One week later on December 4th, they released December's Children (and Everybody's) , featuring Get Off My Cloud, I'm Free, and As Tears Go By.

The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones - Get Off My Cloud
The Rolling Stones - I'm Free
The Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By

Singer Wanted

In an interview with FILTER Magazine Peter Hook reveals that FREEBASS, the supergoup comprising of Hook, Mani (Stone Roses), and Andy Rourke (The Smiths) have nearly completed an album. The only thing missing is a singer.

“We have about 19 ideas. Twelve of them are ready for vocals. We’ve had a problem finding a vocalist. We have not been lucky yet to find the one. I think the problem is that the three of us have such a pedigree of vocalist, that if we come out with someone that’s not good we’ll obviously be slated! You’ve got Ian Brown, bloody Bobby Gillespie, Ian Curtis, Bernard (Sumner) and Morrissey. Those are big shoes to fill, especially collectively."

And if you're wondering what FREEBASS might sound like:

"Ironically enough…it sounds like New Order with a bit of the Stone Roses and a bit of Smiths and some Northern Soul."

Uh...really?

"...they are songs at the moment minus vocals--they all have three basses. Mani does the low part, Andy Rourke in the middle and I do the high bit. (laughs) But it works out quite well."

Fair enough. Either way, it sounds interesting. It's definately something else to look forward to in 2006.

New Order - Bizzare Love Triangle

5 On 5 (well, 3 On 3 this month)

What do Ted Nugent, Gomez Adams and Patti Smith have in common? Randomville has the answer.

Friends of Dean Martinez

Head over to Randomville and read my review of the new Friends of Dean Martinez disc Lost Horizon. If you want to hear what I'm talking about, listen to the samples at Amazon and buy it.

MP(3)

My new favorite t-shirt, MP(3). It was created by Matthew Flemming and is being sold through threadless. Click the image below for a larger picture.

Additions to the Blog

I made a couple of adjustments/additions over there on the right, under the link for My Profile, you'll see I've added a link called Your Location. It'll take you to a Frappr map. Take a minute to register yourself and tell me where you're at.

The other update is to the link for I See Sound over there in the Music section. I had an outdated link, so if you've clicked on it recently you might've got an error message. It's fixed now, so go back and check out I See Sound. They're are recent updates about the return of the mighty Hogscraper, a new song from Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde as well as MP3's from Paperback, Campfire Crush, Rumble Club and the Minni-Thins. They have frequently updated podcasts and other recent articles on Ryan Adams, the Dead Kennedy's, several area live shows and much more.

Indian Summer

I am absolutely loving the warm temperatures here in southwest Ohio. It's comfortable enough to sleep with the windows open while the crisp coolness of the morning air is just right. We usually have our first hint of winter about this time of year, with frost on the windshields and maybe a slight flurry in the morning. The bottom looks to be gradually dropping out at night, but daytime temperatures remain in the 65-75 degree range. Everywhere you look the leaves are 95% changed and starting to fall from the trees. The classic Indian Summer - Absolutely beautiful.

Although it's not really a song about the season itself, Luna's version of Beat Happening's Indian Summer provides a perfect soundtrack to the season.

Luna - Indian Summer