*CBGBs consider moving legendary venue to Vegas
*Insound posts their top 100 sellers. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is #1 but that isn’t a shocker considering Insound was one of the few places to buy this record before it received proper national distro. Mars Volta #2, ummm.... huh. What is surprising: Animal Collective way out at #39 (though this is a new release so sales have yet to earn them a better position), My Morning Jacket at # 56, Deerhoof #86 (also a newish release), and Books barely making it on the list at #93.
*Rough Trade posts their top of 2005 which includes both sales and staff picks. Brakes “Give Blood” is their number one and CYHSY found their way in at #27.
* This just in: Le Volume Courbe - I killed my best friend on Honest Jons will finally get a proper domestic release in the states at the end of Feb. 2006 via Astralwerks.
*Kanye West makes me wonder why Beans ( of antipop consortium) didn’t become a commercial success story first; both rappers share a certain left of center je ne sais quoi.
*From Troubleman : GLASS CANDY has some new tracks on their myspace page. Go there to check it out. A new record is expected in 2006.
Also Away from Voivod is still working on his long overdue art book, coming out on Troubleman Unlimited in 2006.
* Listen to Calexico + Iron and Wine on NPR
* Blood Brother remix Gang of Four listen here
*Red Sparowes (featuring members of Isis, Neurosis, and Halifax Pier) tour Europe in Spring 2006 but not before heading into the studio to record their next record for Neurot Recordings. Also Neurosis are writing their new record as I type this and recording begins in the summer of 2006. Lastly at the end of February Neurot will release Final Final3 which features Justin Broadrick from Jesu /Godflesh and MGR Nova Lux which features Mike G. of Isis.
*What the heck happened to Joanna Newsom? Its been awhile since we have had much news on her yet. The Drag City website says: White Magic and Joanna Newsom are settling down for a long-winter’s record session, in hopes of each of them also contributing to the big parade of ’06.
*From the FatCat website:
Songs of Green Pheasant and Aoki Takamasa have each contributed Beatles covers from The White Album as part of a special radio programme dedicated to the life and work of John Lennon who was killed on the 8th of December 1980.
31 artists recorded tracks for a very special One World radio show that will be broadcast on Monday the 5th of December on BBC Radio 1, the show will go out at 1:00 am and will be available online for seven days after it's been broadcast. You can gets all the info hereThe programme is presented by Chris Thomas who engineered the White Album.
You can check out three new MP3 session tracks by Vashti Bunyan via the FatCat Audio player. The three tracks are 'Hidden', 'Lately' and 'Brother', and are home-recorded acoustic versions featuring Vashti on vocals and guitar and Max Richter on piano and additional instrumentation. These are sparser versions of the album tracks and were recorded live for use as radio session tracks. we think they sound great, but don't take our word for it - go and check for yourselves.
*Finally news about one of my favorite bands / releases of 2005!!! From the Sonic Unyon site :
AEREOGRAMME TO RELEASE LATEST ALBUM ON SONIC UNYON
Sonic Unyon is pleased to announce we have secured the rights to release Aereogramme's album Seclusion for North America set for release on March 21st 2006. Along with six brand new tracks - Seclusion also sees the band realize their love for films with the addition of a feature film that is played twice on the CD with two separate musical scores.
Music is a reflection of people's lives - and the deep emotions of joy and despair that run through Aereogramme's music illustrate the levels of intensity that these four Scotsmen experience in their existence.
*Bright Eyes literally keeping it real for the kids on Pancake Mountain. If I liked kids or Connor I would think this was the coolest thing ever.
