Diary :: Topic - Music

It finally happened, The Scissor Sisters' second album, Ta-Dah! finally leaked one week away from it's release date. I've managed to have two quick listens to the album, and hope to have a review on the site soon.

It seems that the Record Companies are doing a pretty good job of keeping albums from leaking pretty much up to their release date. I think Ta-Dah comes out next week, and there's still no sign of The Killers' Sam's Town and Beck's The Information, both due for release early October.

I'll probably end up buying the album on Vinyl, as I have a soft spot for the quirky New Yorker's. From first listen's I don't think it's up to the standard of the first album, but they're defiently a few standout tracks on there. And yes, there are some tracks on there that sound as if they belonged to Elton John.

Thinking about it, I haven't been floored by any of the new albums released by Groups and Artists that broke through around 2000 - 2001. The Streets, good, but not excellent. The Rapture, I've got a review for them soon, seems promising, Razorlight, so-so, The Sleepy Jackson, overkill. You get the idea.

Lets see what the Scissor Sisters can do....

After struggling with Bristolticketshop for an hour this morning I managed to find a telephone number for the Ticketweb helpline. Finally then I manage to buy two tickets for the Tsunami Benefit Concert at the Bristol Academy.

Quite an interesting line up of both Rock and Trip-Hop artists. A shared billing of Portishead, Massive Attack, Robert Plant and The Coral should make it a fun night.

I managed to download the leaked Beck demo last weekend, and naturally for any Beck fan, I've been listening to it non-stop.

Like every Beck album, some songs you instantly fall in love with, some you fall in love with over time.

Fell in love at first listen:

Guero, Scarecrow, Earthquake Weather, Chain Reaction, Track11 and Track13.

Falling in Love:

Summer Girl, E-Pro, Brazilica and Hell Yes

Loving slowly:

Black Tambourine, Go It Alone


The album sounds like Beck is in Mellow Gold / Odelay mode with his serious Sea Change voice. Hopefully the final mastered version will have the vocals more at the front of the mix. But overall the album is very good. I'm refraining from using the word brilliant, I don't think the album hits the heights of Odelay in genius.

Yesterday the album got a name, Guero, and an official tracklisting:

E-Pro
Que Onda Guero
Girl (Probably Summer Girl)
Missing
Black Tambourine
Earthquake Weather
Hell Yes
Broken Drum
Scarecrow
Go It Alone
Farewell Ride
Rental Car
Emergency Exit

I'm suprised Chain Reaction got omitted, where Go It Alone and Black Tambourine manage to sneak in. Oh well, not my decision.

"Right now the record (companies are) trying to figure out how they are going to keep themselves in cocaine and limousines and starlets and whatever else those guys do for a living."

— Los Angeles radio giant Phil Hendrie

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Captain Beefheart - Zig Zag Wanderer
The Fall - Spoilt Victorian Child
Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia
The Smiths - Girlfriend in a Coma
Pulp - Something Changed
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Peiriant Pleser
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha
Pavement - Major Leagues
Ballboy - Donald In the Bushes With a Bag Of Glue
Joy Division - Love will tear us Apart
PJ Harvey - Shee-la-na-gig
The Damned - New Rose



RIP John

Yesterday I managed to get a listen of the Kings of Leon new album, Aha Shake Heartbreak.

Rawer than their debut album, Aha features less of the hooks that made Youth and Young Manhood a barnstorming rock-motherfucker of an album. Aha Shake Heartbreak is a more difficult album to get into than it's predecessor, and this is glarlingly obvious with the first single to be released from the album, The Bucket.

Festivals such as Bonnaroo and Glastonbury may have opened the Kings into new avenues of fans, but whether Aha Shake Heartbreak will help push the Leon's cause in the same way is another question.

My Gary Lucas pictures from The Magic Band performance at Glastonbur this June have made their way onto Gary's own official site! Check out his site at www.garylucas.com

Just to let you guys know that the pictures taken by me at Glastonbury of The Magic Band are now up on The Captain Beefheart Radar Station.

Press the link below to go straight to the pics:

The Magic Band Pictures

The pictures will be on the Gallery section along with my other Glastonbury pictures soon. (Once I clean up that section).

Just been to see Beck two nights at the Brixton Academy. Overall I thought the shows was great, with the second night trumping the first night pretty hard. The first night's show was marred due to the awful echo bouncing around the Academy's antique walls. Luckily the sound guys got it sussed afterwards ready for the Thursday night show.

Great to hear Ship In A Bottle again, after hearing it for the first time live at the Manchester gig earlier in the year on his European Acoustic tour. Unfortunately, there were no real suprises in regard of rare songs being played, except for a cover of The White Stripes' Black Math.

Oh well, back up to London again tonight to catch Ratdog at the Astoria, which should be an awesome gig. Hopefully Bob's band aren't too rusty from not playing any Ratdog shows for a while.

On Saturday I'm over at the Reading Festival to catch Beck again (among Blur, The Doves, The Streets among others). He will surely impress.

A nice suprise came through my mailbox this morning - Southlander! If you don't know anything about the movie, I'd suggest you'd visit this page.

Looks like I'll have something to watch tonight after coming back from The Welsh Club.