Berkeley PlaceBerkeley PlaceA good mix of bootlegs, mixtapes, rock, indie, pop, and hip hop-specializing in high quality bootlegs and unsigned bands. 
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SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
2008-10-28 22:48:00 It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. This is my last post on this site. It may be my last post forever, depending on the reaction to this post.I?ve been a non-RIAA reviewer for over a year now. That?s why when companies send me CDs by The Annuals, Matisyahu, or Ryan Adams, I won?t review them unless the company hosts the mp3. That used to be a safe approach. Not any more. A few weeks ago, I posted a collection of covers of songs from the 1980s. To my knowledge, only one of the artists featured in that post had a connection to the RIAA. That was Chris Cornell. But the song that I posted was a live recording, not commercially released. Nevertheless, the post mysteriously disappeared from my site. Over the next few weeks, this happened twice more. Blogger, my host, has been utterly silent on the issue. I am not alone in this?it?s happened to some of the best bloggers out there, likeRyan?s Smashing Life, and So Much Silence.Then, an 11-month-old post from my Word... More About: Fish , Long
UPDATE
2008-10-28 00:44:00 Well, they took another post of mine and I can't figure out why. I no longer believe that this is the work of the RIAA. Someone out there just has it in for me. I can't figure out who and, of course, Blogger won't say anything about it because it is impossible to reach anyone at their help desk.The post did not have a single protected work. It was indie artists, most of whom submitted to my site. If this post disappears, I'll really know something is wrong.I may publish a few things I have already written over the next few days, but other than that, expect my site to be defunct for a few weeks while I figure out what to do next.And if you are reading this, and you're the one who is messing with me, please let me know why. I have made every effort to avoid distributing RIAA protected material. If you're just someone that I offended, I wish you would just tell me. This is ridiculous. More About: Update
PICTURE OF THE DAY
2008-10-27 00:54:00 Look out behind you! It's the fucking RIAA sending out DMCA notices on stuff they don't even own! Or stuff that label reps sent to you to review, knowing full well what your submission policy is! Run for your life! Or better yet, poke him in the balls and shit on him! More About: Picture , Picture of the day
DONE?
2008-10-25 23:26:00 I'm wondering if I should quit blogging, in light of the deletions and stepped up C&Ds being issued here and at wordpress.
THE TOP TEN #1 SONGS OF THE 1980s!
2008-10-25 19:01:00 THIS POST WAS EATEN BY BLOGGER, AND I'M NOT SURE WHY.But here's the text of it. No links, though, and no pix. Apparently, someone complained. Can't imagine who.10. Down Under-Men at Work.I chose to use this song, rather than the paranoid "Who Can It Be Now?" to represent my favorite member of the invasion of the Aussies in my top 20. Arguably, "Who" is more appropriate because there were so many paranoid songs in the 1980s (one of the best: Norman Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me.") But ever since I heard Colin Hay rework this song acoustically, I realized that this is a very well-crafted pop song. Besides, if it weren't for this song, which topped the chart from January 15 through Feb 11, 1983, nobody would know what a fried-out Combie was. If you still don't know, go rent Prescilla, Queen of the Desert.Versions:Spacecake. A bizarre version--part hard rock, part woodblock.Curtis Peoples9. Rapture-Blondie.This one was harder for me, because the song itself is only so-so.... More About: Songs
WHY DO MY FUCKING POSTS KEEP DISAPPEARING???
2008-10-25 15:10:00 I can't find any e-mail for blogger support, and individual posts I 've made keep fucking disappearing!!!!! ARgg!!!!!! Does any reader have any idea why, or who I could contact about it?? My top 10 songs of the '80s posts is gone, without any explanation!! And I don't keep back ups of this stupid blog.I am so fucking aggravated. More About: Fucking , Posts
THIS IS ABOUT MARNIE STERN AND SHE IS GREAT AND SO IS HER ALBUM AND I AM HE
2008-10-25 13:50:00 I showed much love to Marnie Stern when she exploded on the scene in 2007, picking ?In Advance of the Broken Arm? as the Best Debut of 2007. It was alternately dissonant and shredding, muscular and intricate, and like nothing else I?d ever heard. With a sound as distinct as hers?it?s kind of like a nine-year-old choir boy at a metal nightclub, shouting in your ear that he wants a Shirley Temple with a rum chaser?it was hard for me to imagine how a sophomore release could be anything but disappointing. But it isn?t.Like most artists, Marnie Stern's follow-up is less wild and more melodious?but not much more. It starts with ?Prime,? a car-alarm of sonic urgency that blasts and blasts until, in track 2, Marnie offers the first single: ?Transformer.? Here, she raps. Yes, raps. But not in a stupid, white girl way. This is the most accessible Stern song I?ve ever heard, but it?s still so off-the-wall that it leaves me out-of-breath, looking for a toehold. And while I?m dangling,... More About: Great , Album
PICTURE OF THE DAY
2008-10-25 02:01:00 Proof that Sarah Palin is wrong, and evolution is a fact! More About: Picture , Picture of the day
RYAN ADAMS: 2006 TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
2008-10-24 13:19:00 Posted on the Ryan Adams Archive, a fan of 2006 compiled all of his new material and his improvs. It's a really fun album, because it was all fresh stuff at the time and many of the freestyles are hilarious. It's also very good quality.A few tastes and a zip. And please drop a comment and let me know if you all are still interested in boots and shows. I don't get many comments on them, so I'm thinking of not doing them anymore.1. Goodnight Rose (9-17-2006)2. One Of Us Is The Sucker And The Other Gets To Play (10-14-2006)3. Two (2-14-2006)4. Blue Hotel (10-17-2006)5. Arkham Asylum (9-19-2006)6. Don't Get Sentimental On Me (2-14-2006) 7. She Turns It Up To Ten (10-13-2006)8. Rip Off (7-25-2006)9. Typecast (10-13-2006)10. Lighthouses (9-18-2006)11. Two Hearts (2-14-2006) 12. Robot Fuck (9-24-2006)13. Breakdown Into The Resolve (7-22-2006)14. 21st Century Wars (9-27-2006)15.Everything Dies (2-15-2006)16. Fantasy Balloon (10-5-2006) 17.Maps (2-18-2006)18. Martian Song (7-20-2006... More About: Tour , Highlights , Ryan Adams
THE 10 BEST #1 POP SONGS OF THE 1980s!
2008-10-23 23:30:00 This is the second part of this tribute to the songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the Me Decade.For part one, go here.10. Down Under-Men at Work. I chose to use this song, rather than the paranoid ?Who Can It Be Now?? to represent my favorite member of the invasion of the Aussies in my top 20. Arguably, ?Who? is more appropriate because there were so many paranoid songs in the 1980s (one of the best: Norman Rockwell?s ?Somebody?s Watching Me.?) But ever since I heard Colin Hay rework this song acoustically, I realized that this is a very well-crafted pop song. Besides, if it weren?t for this song, which topped the chart from January 15 through Feb 11, 1983, nobody would know what a fried-out Combie was. If you still don?t know, go rent Prescilla, Queen of the Desert.Versions:Spacecake. A bizarre version--part hard rock, part woodblock.Curtis Peoples9. Rapture-Blondie. This one was harder for me, because the song itself is only so-so. But I really d... More About: Songs
OWNER OF A LONELY POST
2008-10-22 23:39:00 (The most mainstream Yes album) + (A single with maybe the most exhilarating riff in history) X (a video with maggots) = Classic rock.Owner -Trevor Rabin (Live)I Like It (Feat. Boo And Mack Maine)-Lil WayneOwner Of A Lonely Heart (1 minute remix)-Yes. All the best parts, no filler.Owner-Grizzly BearOwner Things (Yes vs Howard Jones)-Saint Bernadette Owner-Soul Priority (live, direct link)Owner-Bockman's Euphio (live 2002)Owner-Yonder String Band (live, direct link)Real maggot brain! More About: Post
KINETIC STEREOKIDS WANT YOU TO HAVE A NICE DAY. AND SO DOES DAVE GROHL, BU
2008-10-22 10:39:00 Clocking in at just three songs (technically two songs and a "bonus track"), the Kinetic Stereokids' EP, "Have a Nice Day" is really more of a single than an EP. Consider it an advertisement, then, for their first full-length, Basement Kids. It's hard guitar rock, and the EP's live bonus track (studio version below) has a most appropriate song name: "Explosions Were Heard." That about sums up this band.It's hard to write a review based on just three songs, but they seem pretty good.Have a Nice DayExplosions We HeardBonus guitarsNdrums Song:An early, and less radio-friendly, version of "Overdrive," recorded live. Fuck I love the Foos. Wish they were indie. But I admit, they're too big for indie. FF and Pearl Jam are two bands that act independent, even if they're backed by corporate funds.Gun Beside My Bed-Foo Fighters. Stumble It! More About: Dave
THE 25 BEST #1 POP SONGS OF THE 1980s! (part one-#25-11)
2008-10-22 10:38:00 I?m an old fart now. But in 1980, I turned ten. So the years 1980-1989 where the ones where most of my musical preferences were formed. It was when I started forming opinions of my own. And as you can imagine, I had a lot of them. And I was always right. Prior to buying my first record?Pink Floyd?s The Wall?I had been listening to my parents? rock records: The Mamas and the Papas, The Beatles, and a little Tom Hall.Now, lots of folks slam the ?80s for making sterile, redundant, meaningless pop music. But other than the 1950s, no decade was marked more clearly by a distinct pop sound?something that ran through virtually all the hits, wherever you were in the U.S. You can always pick a 1980s pop song out of a lineup. It?s the one with the lame!So, in honor of my favorite musical decade for pop hits, I?m doing a post of my top 40 favorite #1 pop songs of the 1980s. The criteria for selection were:1. The song had to be a number one hit on the Hot 100 for at least one week. If ... More About: Songs , Part
HASAN SALAAM-?Children of God?
2008-10-20 12:51:00 Let?s get one thing straight: I?m not black. And have Jewish ancestry. So when I say that Hasan Salaam?s ?Children of God,? a heavily Islamic rap record littered with prayer clips, sermons, and preaching black power and unity, is one of the best Hip Hop albums I?ve heard in the last five years, you know the judgment did not come easily. This is not a record targeted to a white audience, and it is unapologetically political. But it is also level-headed, without a hint of racism, proof that MLK was right: One can have racial pride without racial bias; one can talk of oppression without advocating violence toward the oppressor; one can speak the truth with pain and rage, but without hatred.Salaam has been around since 2004, hailing from Jersey and telling street tales without glorifying gangbanging. He?s also a teacher of chess and creative writing in his home-state?s public school system, working with inmates and troubled youth, organizing community boycotts--showing that he is t...
LEOPOLD AND HIS FICTION RELEASE A GREAT NEW RECORD?AND IT ?AIN?T NO SURPRIS
2008-10-19 12:45:00 ?One For Me To Find? has the title and sound of an old traditional. It begins with Daniel James? forlorn voice, singing over a drumbeat and a murmuring organ, ?I?ve got these outlaws chasing me . . . It?s hard to make amends, with myself and my dead friends . . .? It?s a perfect introduction for an album that sticks to Southern Rock basics, but manages to wind through Dead-like jams (?Sun?s Only Promise?), uptempo Allmans rock (?Ain?t No Surprise?), sauntering country pop (?Come Back (Now That I?m Here)?) and everywhere in between.The band has always been the anti-corporate antidote to Kings of Leon, and a more grounded, song-based version of My Morning Jacket. They continue their tradition on their latest release, ?Ain?t No Surprise.? With so many bands making music like this nowadays, it?s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. But you can?t go wrong with Leopold and His Fiction . They?ve got solid songwriting, complete control over their instruments, and vocals that kick... More About: Great , New Record , Release , Record
PICTURE OF THE DAY
2008-10-19 10:53:00 For sale from Topco, who claim that:? Sarah Palin makes sexism sexy? Cross party lines with your own inflatable running mate? Three ways to do this doll: mouth, pussy or ass? Give her a mouthful? Blow her up and show her how you?re going to vote? Let her pound your gavel over and over? Bypass the Bush and have some MILF? It?s time some male interns caused a scandal in the Capitol? She?s the hottest thing to come out of Alask More About: Picture , Picture of the day
PICTURE OF THE DAY
2008-10-19 02:17:00 When Signs Make Synergy Stumble It! More About: Picture , Picture of the day
GO JOE!
2008-10-18 10:42:00 More of the most brilliant rocker ever.A few tastes and a zip of a great live show from Glastonbury 1999.Dig it.01 Techno D-Day02 London Calling03 X Ray Style04 White Man In Hammersmith Palais05 Tony Adams06 Rock the Casbah 07 Yalla Yalla08 Brand New Cadillac09 I Fought The Law10 Diggin' The New11 Tommy Gun12 BankrobberZIP
I WANNA STICK LITTLE DAGGERS IN YOU?The Val Emmich Give-Away
2008-10-18 01:05:00 I?ve got two hot-off-the-presses copies of the brand new Val Emmich CD of glistening pop, ?Little Daggers.? It?s a sweet record, and you may recall the little write up I did on the record here, at my old site. You can check out the single below.To win, drop a comment or send an e-mail and include your own e-mail. Winner will be selected in 7 days, when I send an e-mail to two folks picked at random. But if you?re that lucky person and you don?t respond to my e-mail telling you you won, I reserve the right to pick someone else.So be on your toes!"Get On With It" (MP3) More About: Give , Stick
OF MONTREAL-THE BEST COVER BAND OF THE YEAR! (A to Z!)
2008-10-16 23:07:00 A is for alien alter-ego. Starman/Hang On To Yourself (Bowie)B is for Trouble (Lindsay Buckingham cover)C is for the city. And not just any city. Suffragette City (Bowie).D is for Days (Kinks)E is for The Secret Ocean (Elf Power)F is for Tropical Iceland (Fiery Furnaces)G is for Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)H is for Happy (Rolling Stones)I is for I Can't Explain-The Who J is for Just What I Needed (The Cars)K is for Tired of Waiting (Kinks)L is for Immigrant Song (Led Zep)M is for More Than a Feeling (Boston)N is for Neil! Harvest Moon (Neil Young)O is for One Way or Another (Blondie)P is for the popular list of Hype Machine downloads, which recently featured this cover. I think it originated at NYC Taper, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it inspired this post. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)R is for Rocks Off (The Rolling Stones)S is for Sway-The Rolling StonesT is for too many to list. There are so many Of Montreal cover versions. What a fun band. Here's two, just for shits and ... More About: Band , Cover , Year
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT CURUMIN IS TALKING ABOUT . . . BUT I LIKE IT. A LOT.
2008-10-16 19:13:00 Brazilian musician Curumin has released one of the most eclectic albums of the year. ?JapanPopShow? begins with the title track, a creepy, creeping murmur that is part lament, part spiritual, before launching into ?Compacto,? an upbeat, funky bossa nova track that brings a hip hop element by utilizing samples andscratches at the break, then gradually building back into the incredibly catchy hook for the fade out. I?m not generally a fan of songs in other languages, because I like to know what the song is about, but I find that with Curumin, the music is so fascinating, so varied, so complex, and so much fun that I just don?t care. The third track, ?Kyoto,? is a cookout party track, with Blackalicious & Lateef The Truthspeaker, which is guaranteed to start you moving. Blackalicious is one of the most underrated underground rap crews out there, and Curumin first teamed up with that group?s Chief Xcel back in 2005.Every track is great, but a few other standouts include Salto No... More About: Idea , Talking
YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY PUDDING IF YOU DON'T EAT YOUR MEAT PUPPETS
2008-10-16 10:28:00 The Meat Puppets unofficial bootleg, Portland Zoo, was actually recorded in Italy in 1992, and is a fan favorite. It's easy to understand why. Stellar sound quality, a good mix of fresh covers and band classics, as well as some lesser-known material . . . If you're a Nirvana fan, you need to experience the sound of Meat, because Cobain frequently sang their praises. And their songs. They were also one of the first cowpunk bands.A few tastes and a zip. Dig it.01 Automatic Mojo (2:45)02 Forbidden Places (2:28)03 Leaves (2:12)04 Another Moon (3:27)05 Six Gallon Pie (3:12)06 Enchanted Porkfist (2:13)07 Lake Of Fire (3:01)08 Popskull (2:30)09 This Day (4:04)10 Maiden's Milk (3:38)11 Lost (3:27)12 Open Wide (2:30)13 That's How It Goes (3:50)14 No Longer Gone (3:52)15 Swimming Ground (3:47)16 Look At The Rain (5:30)17 Help Me Make It Through The Night (Kris Kristofferson cover) (3:46)18 Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard) (2:52)19 I Fall To Pieces (Patsy Cline) (3:10)20 I Wanna... More About: Pudding
THE FOO FIGHTERS WITH EDDIE VEDDER!
2008-10-15 10:08:00 Regular readers know my favorite band is The Clash, and I know I haven't been posting nearly enough of their stuff. Gotta keep them alive y'all. But today, I'm posting my favorite current band--The Foo Fighters . This is an April 1995 set from a New York City club, way before they were the biggest hitmakers in rock and roll. And the really cool thing about this is the first track, which I offer as a savefile in case you're not interested in the whole show.Enjoy.01) Instrumental Jam by Hovercraft, with Eddie Vedder on Drums, Beth Vedder on Bass.02) Down In The Park (Gary Numan cover)03) This Is A Call04) Good Grief05) I'll Stick Around06) Weenie Beenie07) Big Me08) For All The Cows09) Floaty10) Alone + Easy Target11) Shine / ExhaustedZIP Stumble It! More About: Foo Fighters , Eddie Vedder
10 REASONS THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS RAWK IN 2008
2008-10-15 02:39:00 1. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love (Van Halen)2. Rockin' In the Free World (Neil Young)3. Jealousy (w/ Betty Lavette)4. People Who Died (James Carrol)5. I'm Eighteen (Alice Cooper)6. Buttholeville-DBTs with The Dexateens7. Play It All Night Long (Warren Zevon)8. State Trooper (Bruce Springsteen)9. I'm Your Puppet (Marvin Gaye)10. Marry Me More About: Drive , Reasons , Truckers , 2008
PRIYA THOMAS-?Blood Heron?
2008-10-14 19:07:00 Classically trained Canadian Priya Thomas has been in the music biz since her 1996 debut, ?In The Throes of the Microscope,? but I confess that her upcoming 2008 release, ?Blood Heron,? is the first I?ve heard of her. And I couldn?t wait to tell you about it.Opening track, ?Your Guitar, My Undoing,? is the most mainstream song on the album, with a steady beat and a classic rock feel, sung like Lou Reed on ?New York.? The normalcy is deceptive, though, because under it is an alt-rock feel, a slightly behind-the-beat strum, and layers of vocals that seem to pile higher as the song reaches its climax. On ?Had I Known, I Would Have Declined,? Ms. Thomas sinks a little deeper. She?s still using the classic song, but now she?s closer to Bob Dylan?s ?Lay Lady Lay? period; but there?s a fuzzy, bassy noise in the background, and about halfway through she interrupts herself with voice that sounds like Sam Philips, showing range and charm. It?s almost like doing rounds of Row Row Row Your...
LODECK AND OMEGA ONE RELEASE ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
2008-10-13 10:47:00 You read right. LoDeck, a lyricist and rapper who you?ve probably never heard of, has created an album with some of the most detailed, complex lyrics I?ve heard this side of GZA. Coupled with the gritty, 1970s funk production of Omega One, this duo has created one of the best albums of the year. Omega One cut his teeth working with the well-respected (and well-reviewed by this page) Vast Aire, and he?s turned his attention to a phenomenal underground rapper who is just as comfortable telling hardcore stories as espousing street philosophy. In this regard, he?s like Nas, but he?s less interested in uplifting his race than sharing his world view. On the title track, he tells us ?why words sell, dizzy get busy with it;? on ?Wipe Out Zone,? he deftly spits tongue twisting verses, firing off deep thoughts faster than the ear can listen (?If words could kill/If carbon paper ended carbon life?); I could quote him forever. The funky ?On a Path,? a spiritual exploration of street life,... More About: Albums , Release , Year
THE MYSTERY TRAMPS VERSUS JAY CROCKER
2008-10-12 10:38:00 The Mystery Tramps are a bunch of kids. A bunch of young rugrat teenagers who make solid pop/rock, with fun hooks and solid vocals. And they?re from Massachusetts. Their album ?We Are The Mystery Tramps,? is a fun, if somewhat shallow, album that hints at better things to come.If kids can produce this kind of music, then maybe there is hope for the future.At the complete other end of the spectrum, there?s Jay Crocker , a mature, jazz-trained Canadian who is also in the band Ghostkeeper. Crocker?s second album, Below The Ocean Over, was produced by Craig (Neko Case, Iron & Wine) Schumacher?where The Mystery Tramps? producer?s pedigree included work with The Cars. Jay?s genre-defining record includes folky pop, poppy folk, and several experimental instrumentals, such as ?Your complete Guide,? most of which end too soon because they?re interesting and moody. But it?s not the worst thing in the world to be criticized for leaving the audience wanting more, I suppose.Crocker?s wo... More About: Versus
HOSPITAL SHIPS-"Oh, Ramona"
2008-10-11 20:11:00 The band Hospital Ships took their name from a Flaming Lips song and, although the band is not as odd or experimental as the Lips, there's a definite resemblance. From Jordan Geiger's strangely Muppet-like voice to the obtuse lyrics and quirky music, "Oh, Ramona," is a fun/disturbing adventure. It alternates between "Baby For J," which seems like an indie-pop song, and "I Want It To Get Out," a big-sounding, gigantically odd ditty. At first listen, I thought this wasn't much of a record. But with repeated listens, I became increasingly grateful I gave the record a chance. The music doesn't come easy, but trust me, it comes. And it's well worth the effort to get it.Buy direct from Graveface Records, here.Bitter Radio SingleBONUS GRUNGE!Nearly Lost You (Acoustic version)-Screaming Trees
SLIMFIT FITS GOOD
More articles from this author:2008-10-11 19:08:00 A band that emphasizes country over alt-, Slimfit?s debut album ?Make it Worse? is a fast-paced collection of barnburners, boozy love songs, square-dance punk, and grit. Not the Ryan Adams kind of Americana?more of the Jeff Tweedy/Jay Farrar/Mike Doughty vein, seasoned with twang and honky tonk.Most of the tunes are barnburners, but a slower,jauntier country song, ?Make It Worse,? is an example of the band?s versatility. But they?re at their best on tunes like ?Fight Til You Die,? which is as good as anything the Old 97s ever put out. ?Dancin? Shoes? is another good one?featuring a female vocal and a fiddle?because it?s so different from the rest of the record. There?s a danger with an album like this that every song will start to sound the same, but every time Slimfit threatens to get repetitive, they pull out a surprise like the harmonica-driven, midtempo, ?That?s Me,? a lyrically simple song that builds slowly into a fantastic climax.The key element to Slimfit is energy: Ever... More About: Good 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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