Archive: 2009

Although Future Clouds and Radar evoke two words that are plain annoying – “beatlesque and power pop" –    the Austin outfit’s 2007 self –titled two disc debut, won over many new fans and even went so far as to be named fourth best album of the year by Harp Magazine.   Their follow-up, Peoria, is a tight eight song 35 minute affair, and while not as grandiose as its predecessor, this one still finds the band enrolled at Beatles U.

On one of the official release dates of their new album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Animal Collective have announced a massive world tour. The band kicks things off with a sold-out show tonight in NYC and will perform at four additional shows in the U.S. before heading overseas in March.

In March, the zealous overachievers are booked for 22 shows over 25 days in 11 countries. There’s no rest for the weary as May through June has the band playing 22 U.S. shows and two in Canada.

Most of us at Hidden Track Headquarters think this album qualifies as an early contender for best album of 2009 and Merriweather Post Pavilion will surely be making numerous appearances in many top 5 / top 10 album lists from a variety of publications at the end of the year.

READ ON after the jump for the band’s full itinerary. Mark your local show in your calendar as you will not be disappointed by AC live…

Wilco: 12/06/2008 MATRIX Rochester, NY [MP3, FLAC] For their last set of tour dates in 2008, Wilco headed out on the road to support Neil Young at huge arenas in the U.S. and Canada. The alt-country pioneers filled out their schedule with two “An Evening With Wilco” concerts in Baltimore and Rochester. On December 6 […]

Looking back on last week’s Cover Wars, Tea Leaf Green has emerged victorious with over 50% of the vote. In 2nd place was The Allman Brothers Band and I am also very happy to report that every entry received at least one vote – I love it when that happens. In case you missed it, last week we looked at ten covers of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

This week I have chosen an 80’s super-hit by Simple Minds. This song was written specifically for the 1985 brat-pack film The Breakfast Club. Simple Minds is still touring and plan to release an album in 2009, a title has not yet been revealed.

As always, be sure to register/login to IMEEM before starting the playlist below to stream full-length clips.

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READ ON after the jump for a look at this week’s contestants…

This video just seemed so appropriate for today… Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – Tall As Cliffs

As has become par for the course in recent years, reunion-mania is sweeping the music world. The latest group that to join the fold is ’70s glam-rockers Mott The Hoople – whose biggest hit was the David Bowie-penned All The Young Dudes, a song which Bowie also contributed backing vocals to. The band will celebrate […]

[Originally Published: March 26, 2008]

What do Jerry Garcia, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Luis Bunuel and Neil Gaiman have in common? Well, they all in some way are connected with a film made by a Polish director set in the Spanish Inquisition about the surreal adventures of a soldier who has found an ancient manuscript during the Napoleonic Wars. Oh, and the film was based upon a novel written in Spanish by a legendary Polish writer and adventurer, Count Jan Potocki at the turn of the 19th century—crazed mystics help to narrate the sweet wreckage drenched in ghost stories, bent royalty, and seductively demonic women.

The film by Wojciech Has is The Saragossa Manuscript and it is a wild jaunt through incredible scenes of such mind-blowing cleverness that one is drawn deeper down the rabbit hole into a rich maze of tales within a tale within an overall twisted myth. At certain points, narration shifts between characters, settings of time and space (a familiar Hidden Flick theme) leap back and forth, exotic eccentric ‘story-guides’ fade in and out of the mix and all of the adventures are accompanied by a truly spacey soundtrack by Krzysztof Penderecki, who would go on to add music to The Exorcist and The Shining.

And what the heck does that odd cavalcade of artists that began this piece have to do with this rich, ancient celluloid artifact? In the 1990s, Jerry Garcia along with Scorsese and Coppola helped fund a restoration of the film for modern audiences. Sadly, the film was to undergo its final inspection the day after the Grateful Dead leader’s passing in August 1995 and he never saw the print in its full restored 182-minute glory. Read on for more about Jerry Garcia’s favorite movie…

• The Saragossa Manuscript: Netflix / Amazon

Get Guilty, Newman’s second solo album following 2004’s Small Wonder, is less versatile than any of his New Porn releases, but grows on you more rewardingly.  Mixing simple lush compositions with the typical he/she vocals we’ve grown accustomed to from the lispy voiced composer, there’s a lot going on here.  

 Dr. Dog have announced some new tour dates during the month of February for the very lucky Southeastern portion of the U.S.  Alt rock/country duo Drug Rug will join Dog M.D. on selected dates.  Stay tuned for hopefully some more local dates and perhaps a few festival stops.  The glorious Fate is out now on […]

Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, Norah Jones and Jack Johnson are among the acts confirmed for a Nick Drake tribute album to be released by Johnson’s Brushfire Records. The announcement was made during the MidemNet conference in Cannes, France, by David Schulhof, whose company, EverGreen Copyrights, controls Drake’s rights. "Fans are willing to pay […]

Athens’ musical mainstays Vic Chesnutt and Elephant 6 originals Elf Power will hit the road again this week with dates stretching around the globe and into the spring in support of their collaborative release, Dark Developments on Orange Twin Records. One special stop on the tour includes a March 11th performance at the legendary venue […]

Expanded editions of Radiohead‘s first three albums – ‘Pablo Honey’, ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ – are set to be released, featuring rare songs including demos and session tracks. The album reissues follows last week’s announcement that the 12 of the band’s singles are to be re-released on limited vinyl. The 2CD (featuring the original […]

Tonight at 8PM Central Standard Time, Umphrey’s McGee will perform one set at The Vic Theatre in Chicago. For those unable to attend, the show will be simulcast on www.wxrt.com. UM’s new studio release Mantis gets officially released tomorrow, though many that pre-ordered through the band have already received their copies in the mail. After […]

Bruce Springsteen stole the show yesterday at the Lincoln Memorial where some of the biggest names in entertainment came together to kick off the inaugural celebration. The Boss performed a goosebump inducing version of The Rising complete with a full choir. Other highlights included U2’s Pride (In The Name of Love) and Bettye Lavette joining […]

[youtube]y5ZLa8sdeLk[/youtube] Paul McCartney – Abbey Road Medley [Live in Montserrat]

Once in a while we get some good perks for running HT. Last Monday, I was invited out to see Erika Wennerstrom – the force behind the Heartless Bastards – for a private showcase at New York City’s Mercury Lounge. The diminutive and slightly nervous Wennerstrom stepped up to the bare stage with an acoustic […]

On July 13, 1985 the world’s best rockers got together to help raise funds to feed the hungry in Africa. The Day The Music Changed The World tells the tale of what went down that afternoon. Just like the original broadcast, this 1 hour special starts with Status Quo’s Rockin all over the World set […]

In 2001, when I was overly busy following Ryan Adams and Cowboy Junkies around the Midwest, I was first introduced to a guy and his violin. This particular person could also whistle clear enough to give you chills, create imposing fractured patterns on guitar, and draw you into his music because it changed in similar ways your feelings do when you’re first in love. Of course, the guy I’m referring to is Andrew Bird.

While rumors that The Boss and Phish will headline Bonnaroo in June have been swirling around for weeks, we won’t get an official announcement until February 3. Just as he did last year, Radio Bonnaroo’s DJ JD Farmhound is playing the part of The Riddler by dropping some cryptic clues on this year’s performers via […]

ATO Records recording artist Gomez has revealed details of its highly anticipated new album, A NEW TIDE.  The eagerly awaited collection – the band’s sixth studio outing and follow-up to 2006’s breakthrough HOW WE OPERATE – arrives in stores and at all online retailers on March 31st. A NEW TIDE marks a return to the […]