From tranquil introspection of “Lifetime Ranger,” to the soaring crescendos of “Merit,” Law digs deep into emotion, and draws out a cycling soundscape of highs and lows; those peeks and valleys that are an inherent part of life.
In two weeks Ace and I will be down in Sunrise, Florida for the 5th Annual Langerado Festival. Ace last attended the festie in 2005, while I had the time of my life at last year’s. As someone who doesn’t get to many festivals, I think the best part of going is the enjoyment I get from checking out artists I haven’t seen before. So for this week’s edition of The B List, Ace and I will look at the five bands each we’re excited to see for the first time at Langerado:
1. Girl Talk: I wasn’t a big fan of the whole mash-up trend that seemed to hit its peak a few years ago, but then I heard Girl Talk’s Night Ripper. Night Ripper is the opposite of every other mash-up I’ve heard that were all ill-conceived and poorly executed. Greg Gillis, the producer who doubles as the one-man gang that is Girl Talk, expertly mashes together killer riffs and vocal samples from tracks’ artists that are familiar to even the most mainstream of music fans.
Gillis uses samples fast and furiously on Night Ripper. My favorite part of the album is the beginning of the track Peak Out, where he throws in samples from 2 Live Crew’s We Want Some Pussy, Pavement’s Cut Your Hair, and Wings’ Silly Love Songs in the span of about 20 seconds. Imagine hearing those three songs on the same radio station, let alone on the same track?
When the Langerado schedule was announced last week there was only one conflict that created a problem for me. Girl Talk’s set is right smack in the middle of Widespread Panic’s headlining set on Sunday. Luckily Langerado is small enough that I can catch the first few songs of Panic before heading over for the brief five-minute walk to the Swamp Tent where Girl Talk is performing. Hopefully I will miss drums and can get back to see the end of WSP’s set. –SB
Read on for nine more great bands we’re excited to see for the first time…
This photo has been making the rounds, popping up all over the headiest message boards and dankest e-mail servers. And while there’s something inherently racist about our visceral reactions to Africans wearing Phish
South may not break out of the Brit-pop mold but their recent attempt to make a unique name for themselves is compelling enough to give a listen.
Critical reviews of retrospectives and B-sides/rarity compilations often carry a common label: “For completists.” Gomez has managed to fit just within that context with Five Men in a Hut (Singles 1998-2004), a double disc exploration of the British band’s work spanning five albums and focusing largely on the singles released in the United Kingdom.
On Monday we posted Podcaster General Mike Newman’s semi-review of Yes’ Jon Anderson playing his band’s old tunes with Paul Green’s School of Rock All Stars at BB King’s. And
At each of his last two solo shows at the Knitting Factory, Scott Metzger has nailed Richard Thompson’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. Now I’m hooked. [youtube]AxKTzwaEa2o[/youtube] If you prefer a
I’ve always been jealous of those people that know exactly how to tickle the ivories. Playing the piano has always been a dream of mine, yet for some reason I was always drawn to the guitar. This week’s edition of Grousing The Aisle features my favorite piano players, and while all of these men have adept skills at playing the clavinet, synthesizer, and organ, they are true piano men who most often are seen playing a regular ol’ acoustic. Check these shows out:
Stevie Wonder and Wonder Love 07/16/73 SBD (FLAC, MP3):
With his seminal album, Innervisions, about to be released, Stevie Wonder took his Wonder Love band to Europe for a series of promotional appearances. This show comes from Wonder’s appearance on German TV show Musikladen, where Stevie and his band started off by jamming before landing on Contusion.
The Higher Ground that follows is nothing short of intense, as Wonder pounds the rhythm on his Clavinet with authority. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing takes the energy down briefly before the show-stopping (literally) closing combination of Living For The City and Superstition. This one’s a must-download…
320kbps MP3 = http://www.sendspace.com/file/0g3k6w
Read on for more piano greatness from Bruce, Herbie and Billy…
From the extensive Over Before It Started files, it now appears the upcoming Van Halen 2.0 tour will not proceed as planned. Hey, at least this one lasted longer than
In the Rock-Paper-Scissors game of life, Cold can’t stop Rock. This was proven in the gothic halls of Rebel NYC, where Generals and Majors and the Mooney Suzuki took flight in an aerial show of guitars and whiskey.
