The Current Music Blog: July 7, 2008 Archive

The Stream 07/07/08

Posted at 8:45 AM on July 7, 2008 by Barb Abney

Details on the new Dandy Warhols album release and tour dates (First Ave. in September.)

Brett Anderson (Suede) to release new solo album.

AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" is high on the list of funeral requests in Australia.

Today In Music History:
1940 - Ringo Starr was born.
1947 - David Hodo (The Village People) was born.
1968 - The Yardbirds played their last gig.
1971 - Bjorn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA) were married.
1984 - Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA was the #1 album.
2006 - Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) died.
2007 - The Live Earth concerts took place around the world.

Live Blogging 07/07/08

Posted at 9:28 AM on July 7, 2008 by Barb Abney

11:55 a.m. Jamie Lidell
He'll open for Elton John on his European arena tour this fall.
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11:45 a.m. Local Music - Doomtree
They have some upcoming dates with Flobots.
The CD release show is August 1st at First Avenue along with I Self Devine & Kill The Vultures.
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11:35 a.m. Coldplay
They're playing Excel Energy Center on November 14th.
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11:30 a.m. Local Music - Mason Jennings
He's currently touring Europe with Jack Johnson.
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11:15 a.m. The Hold Steady
Stay Positive will be released next Tuesday.
They're playing a SOLD-OUT show at First Avenue on July 22nd.
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10:45 a.m. Fleet Foxes
They're playing 7th Street Entry on July 20th.
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10:20a.m. Supergrass
They'll be spending the majority of this month in North American.
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Song Of The Day Info - Sloan
Today on our Song Of The Day Podcast we're featuring Sloan with the tune "Believe In Me" from their album, Parallel Play.
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9:50 a.m. Aimee Mann
Today is your last chance to take part in the "Freeway" video contest.
Listen to her recent in-studio interview/performance.
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9:40 a.m. Matthew Sweet
He'll be releasing his latest, Sunshine Lies on August 26th.
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9:30 a.m. The Verve
Their new album, Forth will be released on August 19th.
Get a free tune and check out their upcoming tour dates here.

9:20 a.m. Local Music - Cloud Cult
They're playing St. John's Block Party in Rochester this weekend.
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9:10 a.m. James Hunter
He's playing The Minnesota Zoo with Chris Isaac August 13th.
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"My 3 Songs" for Monday

Posted at 3:03 PM on July 7, 2008 by Steve Seel

Today Jeremy Yunis submits "three songs for three of the four seasons."

1) Prefuse 73, "Sabbatical With Options"
2) Gotan Project, "Tango Cancion"
3) Camper Van Beethoven, "That Gum You Like Is Back"

That's a seasonal story that's not immediately apparent to me on the surface ... but perhaps communicated more subliminally, I don't know. Either way, thanks Jeremy.

Beck: make or break?

Posted at 9:39 PM on July 7, 2008 by Mac Wilson (1 Comments)

Beck's new album Modern Guilt has been one of my most-anticipated releases of the summer. All it took was hearing the words 'Beck' and 'Danger Mouse' together for me to start drooling over this project. Danger Mouse's retro quasi-psychedelia seems like a perfect fit for Beck's '60s-style classic pop songwriting. Based on Beck's past career trajectories, it would also lead one to believe this is will be a softer record, a la Mutations or Sea Change (which also happen to be my 2 favorite Beck albums). So here's what worries me:

Modern Guilt is ostensibly a can't-miss record. With a pedigree like this, there's almost no reason this shouldn't wind up in everyone's Top 10 at the end of the year. But if this record doesn't take off, I think it raises a very uncomfortable question: where does Beck go from here? Guero and The Information were both decent records, but neither of them were exactly blockbusters, commercially or critically. What happens if a can't-miss album....misses? I'm not trying to be a doomsayer (I'll only be listening to the album for the first time tomorrow!) but I found it interesting that it's quite possible that the anticipation for this album has created unreasonable expectations. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Beck's Modern Guilt is also the Current's CD of the Week. We'll be playing tracks from it all week long, so you can listen for yourself and see what you think! Here's hoping for the very best.

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