Berkeley PlaceBerkeley PlaceA good mix of bootlegs, mixtapes, rock, indie, pop, and hip hop-specializing in high quality bootlegs and unsigned bands. Articles
JAY-Z AND OASIS KISS AND MASH UP
2008-10-10 17:54:00 Hova's hit.Oasis ' dis song.Y'all remember the recent Oasis/Jay-Z feud, right? If you don't, you can see how Jay-Z can do Oasis just as good as Coldplay does Oasis. Only Jay-Z, of course, doesn't rely on ripping the Gallaghers off for his income.But thanks to Cookin' Soul, the two parties have joined.Tastes:Ignorant ShirtJustify It OutZip File. Stumble It! More About: Kiss , Mash-Up , Mash up , Mash
MADONNA, BRITNEY, AND CYNDI COVERS, A to Z
2008-10-10 11:12:00 This is the conclusion of a two-part tribute to my favorite three pop chix. But the first post seems to have disappeared. Extremely odd. So here's the whole thing, with a zip file. I had written a whole tribute to the three artists, explaining how Madonna is like the Father, Britney is the Son, and Cyndi is the Holy Ghost--the least popular, but the most talented.Anyway, I'm pissed off. So I hope you like it. I had to reconstruct letters A through K from memory, and there's more in the zip file than there is described here, because I don't feel like rewriting the whole thing but the zip file was for all the letters, A through Z.How the fuck did this happen???Everyone remembers the famous Britney Pregnant statue . . .A is for Annie Bethancourt's cover of "Hit Me baby one more time (britney spears)."B is for Bitume's cover of "La Isla Bonita (madonna)."C is for Counting Crows, who covered two of the three great pop chicks, doing great versions of Crazy for You and Borderlin... More About: Covers
PICTURE OF THE DAY
2008-10-10 10:15:00 The cows finally figured out how to kill the meateaters: Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers. With mayo. Mmmmmooooo. More About: Picture , Picture of the day
HOLDING MERCURY-"Downfall of an Empire"
2008-10-09 06:41:00 You couldn?t ask for a more mainstreamrock sound than what you?re going to get from Holding Mercury ?s ?Downfall of an Empire .? With obvious influences from Cheap Trick and the 90s alt-rock sound, the new record is a crisp pop album that sounds completely ready for radio . . . Even if, on the lead track, they claim to be ?running away from the corporate mainstream.? The best part of the album is that they they?ve got skills on top of the great production here. They lyrics are good and PG (lots of lines about caffeine, none about coke), the hooks are terrific, and the vocals are pitch perfect.This is not what you?d expect from an indie band.Let It GoStuck in a BoxI'm Not Well
QUOTE OF THE DAY
2008-10-07 10:50:00 ?Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.?- John McCainNote: This is exactly what W. Bush did in the financial markets, and we see how great that's turning out. More About: Quote Of The Day , Quote
DUNGEN-?4?
2008-10-07 10:33:00 http://www.dungen-music.com/When I read that Dungen's fourth studio album would be titled ?4? I eagerly anticipated covers of Misty Mountain Hop, Going to California, and, of course, Stairway, all in the Swedish band?s signature heavy psychedelic mode. But it?s not a covers album. There?s probably not a huge market for orchestral psychedelia, let alone jazzy metal, but wherever such records are sold, they should make ?4? their pick-of-the-year. None of the album is in English, so the sounds have to tell the story, whether it is the intricate, Grateful-Dead-meets-Metallica instrumentals, which stretch out and sprawl (?Samtidigt 2?), or the pastoral, string-based ?Maleras Finest,? or the metal-meets-piano of Fredag, or the perfect-for-blues vocals. Instead of pushing aggressive licks, the album creates a mood. Albeit a heavy mood, and one with plenty of aggressive licks. ?4? offers an all-encompassing environment of dense, intricate metal. A forest tobe lost in. Like Metallic...
COUNTING CROWS COVERS, A to Z!
2008-10-06 00:00:00 No, I don't have anywhere close to 26 different songs of artists covering the music of Adam Duritz and co. But I have a few. And, I've got a bucket full of Counting Crows doing covers. So that's what this post is mainly about. There's a zip file at the end, and a few tastes here. The zip has all but the direct downloads from ez archive.Enjoy.A is for Angels of the Silences-Stretch Armstrong. A pop/punk take on one of the Crows' faster songs.B is for Brooooooose! Atlantic City-Counting Crows (Bruce Stringbean cover).C is for The Cure. Friday, I'm In Love (Cure cover)-Counting Crows. Adam singing The Cure. I mean, can the world get anymore self-centered?D is for Dixie Butz, the best name for a groupie ever. Rumor has it that Pete Ham wrote this song for her. A cover of a band created by Paul McCartney. Which explains why they sounded so much like The Beatles. Of course, Adam Duritz has absolutely none of the irrepressible optimism and joy of the fab four. That's ... More About: Covers
CRUISERWEIGHT: NOT PUNKY, SPUNKY!
2008-10-03 22:22:00 Is Cruiserweight a punk band? Some seem to think so. Regardless of how you classify the band, the correct answer is how I classify them: Kind of an alt-rock/90s sound, a la Elastica or Weezer. Powerful pop, fronted by Stella Maxwell, a chick with a huge, delicious voice.Naming a female-led band after a boxing weight class runs the risk of comparisons to stupid pop grrls like Avril Lavigne, but Cruiserweight, including Stella?s brothers, Urny and Yogi, have been in the business for a decade, and with that time have the chops and skills to turn, ?Big Bold Letters,? which could have been bubblegum, into an album with high cool appeal. I?ve heard, but don?t own, their cover of Tom Petty?s ?American Girl,? and it?s hot-as-fire. It?s not on the album (a big mistake), but there?s enough other stuff here to make me recommend the Doghouse Records release.Phantom RiderNot from the album:This Ain't No Beach PartyBonus: Covers of Spunk But Not Punk:Self Esteem (Offspring cover)-Veronica M...
9 REASONS TO DIG TOM PETTY COVERS
2008-10-03 11:30:00 1. Free Falling-Death Cab for Cutie2. Handle Me With Care-Jenny Lewis and the Rabbit Fur Coat3. You Got Lucky-Venice is Sinking4. Listen to her Heart-Wilco5. Free Falling-Guns N Roses with Tom Petty American Girl-Melora Creager6. Even the Losers-DriveBy Truckers7. Rebels-Jason Isbell8. American Girl-Eddie Vedder with Tom Petty 9. American Girl-Jason Isbell More About: Reasons , Covers
OH, PUMPSTA . . . OH, PUMPSTA, BAYBEE
2008-10-01 11:34:00 Anybody out there remember Finsta?Pumpsta kick it on their second record, Bass Black Treble White, rockin' goofy Frat Boy hip hop that's nearly as bad as that sounds.Perfect party music: fun, hard, fast.Dig it:Octopus Armed
DOZENS RESCUED AT RECORD STORE BY A DOLPHIN
2008-10-01 02:08:00 Elle does the nip slip, showing Dolphin love.How many of you out there remember the band Flipper? Anyone? Probably not many of you. But I bet you all remember Nirvana and PiL! And Flipper was a big influence on them.Flipper, named after the thalidomide baby on the cover of one of their first records, were an underground San Francsco punk band that formed in 1979. They went through a bunch of lineup changes, largely due to their incredibly offensive live shows and album jackets, before trying to reinvent themselves in the early 1990s under Rick Rubin's wing. In 2006, the band, including Bruce Loose (who got real fucked up in a car wreck), formed once again, getting yet another bass player. This time, it was Krist Novolselic, formerly of Nirvana.Here's a bootleg of that lineup, from a free show they did at the world's greatest record store, Amoeba Record s on Haight St. in San Francisco.Tracklist (a few tastes, then a zip)Ha Ha HaNight Falls Like Dirt RocksWay Of The WorldTr... More About: Store
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS OF MONKEYS FLING FLAMING FECES AT AMERICA
2008-09-30 20:25:00 Preliminary note: Imagine my shock when I woke up to find out I've got the top 2 on Blog Machine. Go me!The first Arctic Monkeys album was an extraordinary burst of power-pop with acidly wicked lyrics and fist-to-the-face hooks that I kept in active rotation for about a year. The second Arctic Monkeys album was a cleaner burst of power-pop with occasionally sad lyrics and fist-to-the-gut hooks that I kept in active rotation for about six months. So, when I saw a used copy of The Last Shadow Puppets at my favorite CD store, I wondered if it was worth the $8.99.It was.Alex (Arctic Monkeys) Turner and Miles (The Rascals, The Little Flames) Kane have teamed up to create 12 jubilant gems of classic-sounding rock and roll, far better than anything they were ever able to write before. Although it?s got the ?Let?s Dance? era Bowie sound of ?Standing Next To Me,? much of the record is spent showing Amy Winehouse how to write her second album, on dark soul songs like ?The Time Has Come ... More About: America , Flaming , Feces
ZILLA ROCCA WANTS TO GET HEAD
2008-09-29 22:31:00 I?ve written about Zilla Rocca before. His day job is Prez and co-founder of Beat Garden Entertainment (which, with Yadibox, is the home of Nico the Beast and 2ew Gunn Ciz), a hip-hop producer, and a rapper in his own right. He?s also just released his first solo mixtape. And, of course, it?s hot.There?s some real skilled production work, like the Terminator X style track, ?Flow God Zilla,? which is mostly samples and a wall of noise; and lots of skilled rhyming; Zilla and Nico team-up and kill it on ?Raw to the Floor.? Zilla shows versatility, too, slowing up on ?All Feast No Famine,? rapping over strings, and on the crazy funny ?Sunbathing Bitches.? There?s lots of guest spots here, but every verse is tight?no filler. There?s a few tunes here I?ve heard before, on his myspace releases (which are generous and frequent).Don?t be misled by the fact that he?s calling it a mixtape. It?s more like a street album: Tight, well-put together, no annoying DJ shout-outs, and excellent ... More About: Head
OCELOTS INFEST INDIE ROCK
2008-09-29 18:34:00 I?d never heard of The Ocelots before they sent me their latest album, ?The Cellar and the Ghost Have Let Us Down,? with an October 7th drop date. What?s it like?Well, it?s a lot like indie rock: Lyrics about death and drama, really fast drums, and grinding guitar with hot hooks and riffs. There?s nothing that makes this band unique, but they?re very good at what they do. And I?m sure they?re great live. If you like The Dead Milkmen, indie Modest Mouse, The Walkmen, or old REM, I imagine you?ll dig this, too.Particularly cool are ?To Keep The Blood Flowing? and ?Fight a Tiger,? which is hysterical. ?I?m gonna finda tiger, I?m gonna fight it now, I?m gonna find a tiger, I?m gonna eat it?s heart out.? A strange, punky, careening adventure, complete with a shouted chorus. Fantastic.This Elephant Is Not Thirsty, It's On FireThe Truth About SailingBonus!Fourth Time Around (Bob Dylan cover)-Calexico More About: Rock , Indie , Indie Rock
CHAD VANGAALEN'S AIRPLANE IS SOFT BUT NOT LIMP
2008-09-28 15:34:00 Somebody give Sub Pop records a cookie. They?ve discovered one of the most fascinating, promising artists I?ve ever heard.Chad VanGaalen's, ?Soft Airplane ,? is nothing short of genius. The lyrics alone are worth the price of admission. Check out the single, the folky ?Willow Tree,? on which he muses: ?When I'm dead/ Is when I'll be free." Or the haunting ?Molten Light,? a warning (?She?ll find you and she?ll kill you?) of a girl who apparently was killed and dumped in the river, where she ?floated to the surface? but ?did not ignite.? Returning as a demon, she seeks revenge. The perfect Halloween song. Vocally, he sounds a little like Modest Mouse about to cry?his high, wispy voice has a wavery trill that makes it sound other-wordly.Overall, VanGaalen deserves comparison to Neil Young and Warren Zevon, both of whom successfully forayed into pop (?This Note?s For You?/?Werewolves of London?), folk-country-rock (?Helpless?/?Desperados Under the Eaves?), classic rock (?Rust N...
HYPE ELBOWS WHORINGS
2008-09-28 01:25:00 Slow Night, So Long-Eddie Vedder and Kings of LeonMr. Brightside-Amy MacDonaldStaring at the Sun (TV On the Radio cover)-SubwaysDon't Fear the Reaper-Wilco More About: Hype
THE CLASH COVERS A to Z: AGAIN!
2008-09-27 16:00:00 The Clash are the band that proved that too much money will destroy the heart and soul of an artist. Although Joe tried (at least publicly) to eschew material gain, there was simply too much riding on their success to keep him immune from the power of being a commodity. The Clash were and will always be the greatest rock and punk band ever in history. And the good bands know this. Dig the following second version of The Clash Covers , A to Z.Before I get started: A Ben Folds cover of Lost in the Supermarket has been floating around, but I haven't been able to get my hands on it. I'd love it if one of my readers could hook me up?Okay: Z is for Zipfile, so anything not below as a single-song download will be in the folder. Enjoy.A is for Armegiddeon Time. Joe doing his own song. But it's still technically a cover because he did it on his own, on 9/28/02.If that wasn't okay for a cover, how about Anorak doing Somebody Got Murdered?B is for Brand New Cadillac-Incognegro.C is ... More About: The Clash
Z-TRIP-?The Iller Sessions?
2008-09-27 11:44:00 ?The Iller Sessions ? arrived in a plain brown envelope, with no press information. The websites printed on the album aren?t helpful either. What the hell is this? I know Z-Trip ; he?s a fantastic remixer/blend DJ who did a great version of the Jackson Five?s ?I Want You Back? several years ago. But here, he?s assembled some of the greatest under-the-bubble names of the 1990s, providing brand new cuts by the likes of Digital Underground, Jurassic 5, The Black Sheep, DMC (of Run DMC), Rasco, Supernatural . . . The list goes on.Some key tracks are the album opener, ?At the Party,? a shout-out party jam by Macklemore, an artist with a steady flow who, I confess, I?ve never of before.Rasco spits fire, as usual, on the gangsta-gettin-money cut, ?Let's Get It.? ?I get big bags, You get one gram/Your shit is off beat/I came to sweep cats right off they own street.? It?s not likeyou?ve never heard Rasco drop lyrics like these before, but he does it so well. A surprise for me was ?Rem...
THE SECRET MACHINES SPEAK LOUDLY AND CARRY A DARK GUITAR
2008-09-26 12:37:00 Everything old is new again. Bands like Earth, Dungen, Black Mountain, and countless others are creating dark, organic, psychedelic works. And The Secret Machines is one of the bands that were ahead of the curve, pioneering the "new" sound eight years ago.In 2000, this Dallas power trio, which then consisted of the Brandon and Benjamin Curtis brothers and Josh Garza dropped one of the best retro albums of the last ten years. Now Here Is Nowhere was simply awesome. Then Ben Curtis left at around the time the band released the disappointing Ten Silver Drops. I don?t know if the brothers had been fighting or what, but?Drops? was . . . Boring.But now they?re back. They?ve been dropped from Warner Brothers, who refuse to put money into a band without a proven track record, and picked up by the independent, and smart folks at World?s Fair group.The self-titled album is kind of a relaunch. It?s easily as ambitious as their first album, but it?sretro in a different way. If the first... More About: Guitar , Dark
THE BIGGEST NEWS OF THE WEEK: Bloodsuckers feasting on the innocent!
2008-09-26 11:20:00 The biggest news of the week came on Wednesday. No, it wasn't that McCain was suspending his campaign so that he could rush to D.C. to vote on the bailout bill, but only after making three fundraising stops, spending the night in New York, and, ultimately, missing any opportunity to participate in the negotiations, which failed anyway.No, it wasn't that a third financial giant, Washington Mutual, has failed due to unprecedented Wall Street greed, that was actually precedented but nobody in the Bush administration wants to admit it because they'd rather be prescient than scholarly. To wit: "[The current economic] crisis has been caused by past, present and future economic policies."It wasn't even the general realization that investment banks, which specialize in buying companies, repackaging them, and reselling them, are risky ventures when most of their capital is leveraged on loans that were provided without documentation, and when their assets are insured by a company that a... More About: News , Innocent , Week
OKKERVIL RIVER SAVE DINGO FROM WILD BABY
2008-09-25 15:13:00 There?s a reason why Okkervil River ?s latest record, "The Stand Ins," sounds a lot like their last release, "The Stage Names;" it?s because they were recorded at the same time. Slightly less contemplative than its predecessor, "The Stand Ins" consists of tunes that didn?t make it on last year?s fantastic release. But don?t call it an outtakes or B-Sides album.Although ?The Stand Ins? is not quite as good as ?The Stage Names,? it?s probably not a fair comparison. ?Stage Names? was the band?s best work?a tour-de-force that finally brought together, and made into a comprehensive whole, the complex musical lines andstyles that the group includes on every album. But ?Stand Ins? is still very good. Beginning with a strange and brief introductory track, it immediately grabs and bounces along ?Lost Coastlines.? From there, it goes immediately into another fast track, ?Singer Songwriter," before slowing a little?but just a little?on ?Starry Stairs.? This track is one of myfavorites on... More About: Baby , Wild , Save , Dingo
FUJIYA AND MIYAGI'S "Lightbulbs" Giveaway!
2008-09-24 22:27:00 We recently reviewed Fujiya and Miyagi's new release, "Lightbulbs," and now we're happy to give you something for nothing! You can win a copy of the CD and a T-Shirt (sizes available: Men's M or L; Women's one-size-fits-all), just by dropping a comment with your e-mail address and T-Shirt size. You MUST include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.You can buy the album here, if you don't win. Or even if you do win, actually.US Fall TourOct 22 2008 MERCURY LOUNGE NEW YORKOct 23 2008 WEBSTER HALL NEW YORKOct 24 2008 PARADISE BOSTONOct 25 2008 BOTTOM LOUNGE CHICAGOOct 27 2008 CHOP SUEY SEATTLEOct 28 2008 THE INDEPENDENT SAN FRANCISCOOct 30 2008 THE TROUBADOUR LOS ANGELESCONTEST CLOSED!
10 REASONS EVERYBODY'S COVERIN' HARRY NILLSON
2008-09-24 15:09:00 (buy this at allposters.com)1. It's the theme song from the only X-Rated movie ever to win an Oscar.2. Luna. Shoegazer fascination!3. Willie Nelson. Awesomely tasty, gently pleasant!4. Jesse Malin. From his new covers album, which I hope to be giving away soon!5. Codetalkers. Even unknown bands sound good doing it!6. Allison Brown Deep country!7. Bob Walkenhorst (9.8.04). Pretty faithful acoustic take!8. Kevin Selby. More uptempo, but still pretty true to the original.9. Blame Love/Everybody's Talkin'-Danny Schmidt. Finger pickin' good!10. Ratso is the best role for a guy who also played the lead in The Graduate, Tootsie, Straw Dogs, Papillon, Lenny, Kramer vs. Kramer, Rain Man, Marathon Man . . . (How do people say Pacino and Dinero are America's greatest actors???). Plus, it starred Angelina Jolie's dad! More About: Reasons , Harry
OH MY GOD-"Fools Want Noise"
2008-09-23 09:24:00 Great album title, great album cover. Oh My God will release their new record on October 14th, after a couple horrific accidents requiring the entire band to go into physical therapy. It's bluesy alternative rock, with organs and guitars and, of course, lots of noise. Their videos are all over youtube, and if I was more of a techie, I'd embed the one for "Fools Want Noise ." It's hilarious.Available here, from Split Red Records.Houston (Now You've Got a Problem)But That's Just MeFacewash
WEINLAND-?La Lamentor?
2008-09-22 21:25:00 Weinland is a guy?s name. Seriously. But there?s an Adam before it and a Shearer after it. He?s the vocalist, guitarist, and vibraphone player on the astounding new album, ?La Lamentor.? From the first alt-country(ish) track, ?God Here I Come,? the album is gripping, thought-provoking, suspenseful and passionate. That first track is a gentle, acoustic, indie-rock lament along the lines of XTC?s ?Dear God?, in which the singer attempts to puzzle through the differences between man and mortal, posed on what seems to be a suicidal deathbed. It?s haunting. And the deep thoughts continue. "The Devil in Me" sounds vaguely like a Ryan Adams ballad, but lyrically it explores similar themes to the opening cut. Yet for all its seeming tragedy, it is actually filled with hope and love.With a wide variety of musicians and instruments, including dobro, mandolin, accordion, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello, and trombone, the album is as rich and textured as the best work of Califone or Calexi...
IF YOU DON'T LEARN THE LESSON THE FIRST TIME . . .
2008-09-01 18:35:00 Back in '06, two bloggers got two years house arrest and fines for leaking a Ryan Adams album. Now, a blogger faces even more time for leaking Guns N Roses tracks. I don't support leaks, I recognize it as theft, and I think what this guy did was immoral. And, worse, stupid. I don't support posting on major label bands because they are exceptionally litigious and aggressive. I got a C&D back in the old days, when I posted on major label releases, for posting a pre-released song that was sent to me by a publicist, who was well aware of my policy: If you send me something, you must tell me if I can't post it. Far as I know, no independent record company has ever sued a blogger for posting material, leaked or otherwise. Nevertheless, all y'all who are pre-posting Calexico, Of Montreal, MGMT, etc. better watch your backs. Blogging is getting dangerous. More About: Time , Learn , Lesson , First Time
NOT THE BEATLES, A to Z
2008-09-01 13:00:00 On my old site, I posted an unbeatles A to Z, so this is kind of an update. But it's got some new stuff, and a zip file of every savefile track. Dig it.A is for amalgam. A fancy way of saying mash up. Imagine a Walk on the Wild Side-Party Party.B is for Band On The Run (Paul McCartney & Wings)-Foo Fighters.B is also for Badge (Cream)-The Subliminal Criminals. This song was actually co-written by George Harrison. Presumably before Clapton wrote "Next Time You See Her," in which he threatened to kill George Harrison if the man was audacious enough to date his own wife. Rock and roll diss records are so cool.C is for the soulstress Corrine. I'm Losing You (Lennon)-Corinne Bailey Rae. With her vocal range, why is she not at least as big as Rhianna? Oh yeah. It's the fine ass.D is for Isolation (John Lennon)-Britt Daniel (of Spoon)E is for Every Night (McCartney)-Mason JenningsF is for Just Like Starting Over (Lennon)-Flaming LipsG is for Gimme Some Truth-Jakob Dylan and Dh... More About: Beatles , The Beatles
Excuse me while I rant . . .
2008-09-01 11:24:00 Recently, a commenter accused me of being a music snob and not liking Bloc Party just because it wasn't independent. Although he was not polite in his comment, comparing me to a bodily odor in fact, I feel the need to respond: My primary reason for posting independent artists exclusively is that the major labels don't play nice in the internet playground. They have made it clear that they do not want the help of bloggers unless the bloggers do exactly what the labels say. My second reason is that the vast, vast majority of bands on major labels sound the same. There have been a few exceptions this year, most notably Nas and My Morning Jacket, but those exceptions only prove the rule (especially given the problems Nas had releasing his "untitled" album with a title consistent with his artistic vision). My third reason is that independent artists generally have more drive--less money--and need the help. As for me being a music snob, of course I am. Who the hell else would sp... More About: Rant , Excuse
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM-?The '59 Sound?
More articles from this author:2008-08-31 23:25:00 The Gaslight Anthem's sophomore album is one of the best I've heard this year.The record begins with a twofer of fist-in-the-air barnstormers: ?Great Expectations? and ?The ?59 Sound .? The first has a powerful, uprising chorus (?I saw daylight last night/And I think about my first wife/Everybody leaves/ and I expect as much from you?), while the second is the first (of many) tribute songs on the album, this one to the music of 1959. With these opening cuts, the album grabs you by the shorthairs. And it never lets go. The momentum keeps building through songs that name-check just about every important rocker of the 1970s, borrowing verses and images from Springsteen, citing Tom Petty?s best underrated record (?Southern Accents?) and even, on Film Noir, singing about that girl who came from Nashville on the Counting Crows? first album. One might ask whether Duritz belongs in the same league as the other folks Gaslight Anthem adores, such as Elvis Presley and Miles Davis, but no... 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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