LifeMinute

The Love List: Rox Follows in Winehouse's Shoes, Candy Bangles and More

jen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:47:07 -0700

Five things we heart for the month of September...

By Elizabeth Bougerol

When Amy Winehouse dropped out of tour dates with Mark Ronson, he tapped a South Londoner of Jamaican-Iranian descent--barely 21 years old--to fill those daunting shoes. But Roxanne Tatei, a.k.a. Rox, was more than up to the challenge. Her album Memoirs (Rough Trade) shares some of the feisty, handclappy 1960s sound with Winehouse, but she forges her own style. $22.50 at Amazon.

If you can’t zip off to Rome to indulge in heavy gelato/pizza/scooter therapy a la Eat Pray Love, you can soak up some of that Italian coolness with this deliciously retro Vespa-logo bag in supple vinyl. $40 at Flight001.

Brazilian jewelry designer Carlos Sobral started creating pieces in the 1960s, and his retro sensibility shows in these vivid pop art bangles. Crafted of lightweight resin, they remind us of those punchy-colored licorice chews. Stack a few on one arm and pair with your LBD. $30 each at Sobral.

How bad-ass is Brooklyn’s Budos Band collective? They share musicians with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (and record labels—they’re born of Bushwick’s increasingly impressive Daptone Records). Their brass-heavy afro-funk blend feels a little like stumbling on a trove of great early-1970s vinyl—perhaps soundtrack music to obscure Blaxploitation movies. Their just-out third album, The Budos Band III, needs to get on your iPod. $14.99 at Daptone Records.

We didn’t know making pencils contributed to deforestation and toxic pollution, but there’s plenty of intel at green-product hive TreeSmart that’s new to us. For instance: They make pencils out of 100% recycled newspapers—reusing your Times in the best way—that are absolutely gorgeous to look at, too. $13.50/dozen from Abe’s Market.

Great Summer Reads!

admin_lm — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:34:49 -0700

By Cindy of hellodollface

In Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner, three women are the center of the story. There’s Sylvie Woodruff, the proper senators wife who’s job it seems, is to appear perfect beside her politician husband. She wasn’t always so prim and proper though, and has had to learn to stuff her true self into form fitting suits to agree with her husbands job.

Lizzie is her daughter, a recovering addict who seems to attract trouble even though she is trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Then there’s Diana, Sylvie’s older daughter who has everything under control as an ER doctor, wife and mother. It all looks so perfect except that Diana is in a loveless marriage and is in the middle of an affair.

There are many layers to Sylvie and her daughters, which are quickly peeled back when a scandal hits the Woodruff family. The senator’s extra marital affair becomes headline news and the three women are forced to examine their own lives and reevaluate the choices they’ve made.

I enjoyed this novel and read it quickly. No doubt that Fly Away Home will shoot to the top of all the bestseller lists.

Here’s a book that I read in record time, Model Home by Eric Puchner. The story of Warren Ziller and his family pulled me in and did not let me go. Warren loses his family’s money in a terrible real estate venture. He tries to cover up his huge mistake but ends up mistakenly leading his wife into believing he is having an affair. She begins to plot her revenge on poor Warren.

The family ties begin to crack as his three children drift off and make poor choices that ultimately affect everyone. Warren tries to pull it all back together- when it is almost too late. I loved the fact Model Home takes place in the 80’s although it could easily be placed present day. While the tone of the novel is serious, there are some humorous moments. I anxiously await author Eric Puchner’s next novel.

Alejandro Escovedo

jen — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:41:46 -0700

Street Songs Of Love
Fantasy Records / Concord Music Group

By: Scott Butler

Alejandro Escovedo is back with his tenth solo effort to date, “Street Songs Of Love”. This is his second writing collaboration with Chuck Prophet (Green on Red) the first being 2008’s musical trip down memory lane, “Real Animal”, which loosely outlined Escovedo’s recording career dating back to his punk beginnings with The Nuns in San Francisco through his other groundbreaking acts from the eighties like Rank and File with the Kinman brothers and True Believers with Jon Dee Graham and his brother Javier.

This collection finds Escovedo taking a step back from his usual lush orchestral creations for a more stripped down straight ahead rock and roll record, much in the same tradition of some of The Rolling Stones best work. The way that Alejandro is able to straddle so many different genres of music and mix them into his own brew of musical nirvana is what makes him the special and unique artist he is and it is what has won him one of the largest cult followings in music today.

Back for a second go around with Escovedo is legendary producer Tony Visconti whose work with seminal glam rock acts David Bowie and T. Rex are a natural fit.

He is backed on this set by The Sensitive Boys, which is comprised of two longtime members of Alejandro’s entourage, David Pulkingham on guitar and Al’s drummer of 23 years, Hector Munoz. The new man in the mix is bassist Bobby Daniel. Escovedo has also added a new twist, by recruiting a pair of backup singers, Karla Manzur and Nakia Reynoso for several songs. The simple addition of these voices on tracks like “Anchor” and “Silver Cloud” add an amazing new dimension not heard before in Escovedo’s music.

“Street Songs” is another slight departure with a funky propulsive bass line that moves it along. “Down In The Bowery” is a beautiful duet with Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople) about Alejandro’s teenage son Paris finding his way in a business that his father knows all too well.

“Tula”, is about and dedicated to friend and renowned writer Larry Brown from Oxford Mississippi, who passed away in 2004. Bruce Springsteen lends his shouts to the rocker “Faith”, which quite simply lays out what everyone must have, not only to survive in the music biz, but in life too.

The album closes with the tender instrumental, “Fort Worth Blue”, in memory of Escovedo’s close friend and producer of his first three solo efforts, Turner Stephen Bruton who hailed from that Texas town.

While some fans might miss the violin and cello presence, there is no doubt whatsoever that Al and the Sensitive Boys have come to rock on this record, and rock it does.

For the music fan that likes a variety of styles all on one record, this quality set is for you. Check it out.

The Love List: Stacey Kent, Recipes From an Italian Summer and More

jen — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:06:09 -0700

Five things we heart for the month of July...

By: Elizabeth Bougerol

Stacey Kent may have been born in New Jersey and make her home in London and Colorado, but heart lies firmly in Paris. Bowing to her massive popularity in France, the jazz chanteuse has released Raconte-Moi (Blue Note), a collection of songs sung in the language of Baudelaire that goes down as easily as an icy kir on a warm day.

Airfare is guttingly expensive right now. Thankfully, the doorstop-thick cookbook Recipes From an Italian Summer (Phaidon) offers more than 400 easy, authentic recipes culled from the Italian cooking bible The Silver Spoon and plenty of atmospheric photography—it’s the next best thing to springing for a getaway to the Boot. $39.95.

Out of Print Clothing is a brilliant enterprise, combining doing good with retail therapy: Buy a t-shirt featuring great classic book-cover graphics—from Lord of the Flies to Lolita--and you’ll contribute to the company’s mission: In 2010 alone, they plan to donate 20,000 books to impoverished nations via Books for Africa. $28 each.

French music-history maven and sampling king Dimitri From Paris turns to the 1970s roots-of-disco Philadelphia scene for his fifth release, Get Down With the Philly Sound (BBE Records). Mining the archives for work from icons like Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes and the Jackson 5, he delivers a breezy, funky double-disc soundscape that’ll inspire you to (re)discover the originals.

We’re loving designer Thomas Paul’s fervor for all things nautical right now, and especially enamored of his Scrimshaw plates—very ye olde sea captain, and gorgeous against worn wood. And they’re lightweight melamine, meaning they’re perfect for using as kickabout outdoors-ware. $32 for a set of four designs at velocityartanddesign.com.

Orange is the New Black

jen — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:12:25 -0700

Book review by Cindy of hellodollface

Piper Kerman was young and naïve when she got swept up in the world of drug trafficking. Her stint as a drug runner didn’t last long and eventually, she walked away from that life, settling down and starting a career. She worked hard and began to make something of herself, the time spent in drug trafficking only a distant memory.

Years later, feds showed up with an indictment, ultimately sending Piper to jail for her crime. The smart blonde lady, the last person anyone would expect to go to jail, ended up serving time at a women’s correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut.

After reading a brief excerpt of Orange is the New Black in a magazine, I was interested to learn how Piper survived her year in a woman’s prison. Piper takes us into the women’s jail where there are sets of rules to follow and orders to be obeyed, and I’m not talking about the rules of the prison. The inmates have a way of doing things, a hierarchy if you will. She details her months in prison sharing with us her struggles and experiences, friendships and finding loyalties in unexpected places.

I thought it was a compelling read, interesting and well written. For more on Piper, please go to
www.piperkerman.com/orange

The Love List: 30 Days of Headbands, New Goldfrapp and More!

jen — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:28:30 -0700

Five things we heart for the month of May...

When designer/writer Mari Santos isn't sketching styles for Urban Outfitters or Topshop, she’s coming up with brilliant ideas via her online shop little fille, like the current 30 Days of Headbands Project: One new, handmade, one-of-a-kind piece that you’ll covet, every day. (Prices vary.)

After the hippie-dreamy vibe of 2008’s "Seventh Tree," we’re pleased to see Goldfrapp move squarely to the center of the dance floor on their fifth disc, "Head First" (Mute U.S.). Campy, thumpy tracks like "Rocket" and "Believer" are unabashed disco anthems, and owe more than a little hanks to Gaga for bringing this kind of music back into the spotlight. it’s a little bit "Flashdance," a little bit ELO, and all good.

Instructions for Garden Bon Bons: Step 1: Do not eat, even though they look like chocolate truffles. Step 2: Set your Bon Bon on a sunny patch or earth or flower pot. Step 3: Water. Step 4: Harvest! We like the Italian Herb Set, which sprouts basil, flat-leaf parsley, thyme and chives, all from seeds cleverly rolled into truffle shapes. $14.95 via Etsy.

We love a good study in contrasts—and this satin-lined mini of cream crochet skulls is just that: Demure and Merchant Ivoryish on one hand, like a lace doily, and totally rock ’n roll on the other. $86 online at Nasty Gal.

With "Ten Minutes From Home" (Harmony), enter a courageous, shimmering new voice on the bookstore shelves: That of Beth Greenfield, who has mined a tragedy in her own past for this affecting memoir. In 1982, when she was 12, Greenfield survived a drunk-driving accident that claimed the lives of her younger brother and best friend—out went her happy-go-lucky new jersey childhood, in came feelings hard for a pre-teen to parse. The resulting prose is as affecting as it is uplifting (as it is witty), as Greenfield gropes her way to grown-up acceptance.

The Love List: Cora Pearl Underpinnings, Daniel Merriweather and More

jen — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:28:14 -0700

By: Elizabeth Bougerol

Five things we heart this week...

You've heard Daniel Merriweather before: His was the voice behind Mark Ronson's mash-up of The Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" and The Supremes' “You Keep Me Hangin' On." And you loved that, right? Pick up his just-dropped debut "Love & War," a thick stew of neo-soul flavors, and then go hear him when he does opening-act duty on Corinne Bailey Rae's world tour.

We're as grateful as anyone that skivvies in the 00s are built for comfort and style but still, when perusing the gorgeous vintage "underpinnings" that are Cora Pearl’s stock in trade – whisper-pink corsets, hand-sewn silk stockings – it's hard to not be nostalgic for a time before Lycra. (Best part? The shop is named for a shocking Victorian-era courtesan.) The boutique is brand-new (so new, you'll have to email the owner) at shopcorapearl.com.

Spring: We can finally taste it. And few images invoke the sights and scents of the first warm breezes like Mari Lowery's Magnolias print of Brooklyn trees in spectacular bloom. The picture's hazy tones are no Photoshop effect: She used expired film to shoot. $28 (matted) on Etsy.

Toiletry cases: Generally, not that sexy. Flight 001's exclusive, spacious Flight Dopp Kit, inspired by vintage Russian travel-agency graphics (you know, from back when airplane travel was glamorous): Very sexy indeed. $36 via Flight001.

As the editor-in-chief of Real Simple, Kristin van Ogtrop spends her days teaching the stretched-too-thin women of America how to get through the day with less fuss. So she’s the perfect choice to pen "Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom," (Little, Brown and Company) a frank, funny dictionary/guide for smart, hip women who are trying to have it all (and very, very tired as a result).

About Elizabeth Bougerol:

Elizabeth Bougerol has written cultural commentary, profiled interesting people and generally cashs checks from Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, Real Simple and us. She co-founded and publishes the travel-inspiration blog Wish You Were Here.

She contributed to Bravo's culture-curation site TRIO, and her book New England's Favorite Seafood Shacks is in its third printing from Countryman Press. She also covers music, food, etc. for NBC New York.

She and Him

jen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:34:04 -0700

Volume Two
Merge Records

by Scott Butler

Actress Zooey Deschanel and Alterna-folkie M. Ward have again joined forces to bring us their beautifully updated version of 60's and 70's AM radio with Volume Two. If you are like me, and were seduced by Deschanel's sweet crooning in the Will Ferrell vehicle Elf back in 2003, that may have prompted you to explore the first pairing of these two on their 2008 effort titled, (you guessed it) Volume One.

M. Ward's production is an homage to all things Phil Spector and Deschanel's lyrics and singing transport the listener back to those bygone days of sugary sweet pop, put out by the likes of Petula Clark and The Carpenters.

All the songs on Volume Two were penned by Deschanel except two choice covers, the first, "Riding In My Car" by NRBQ and the classic Skeeter Davis track, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now." Like on Volume One, the songs they chose to cover show the listener their wide range of influences.

Deschanel's songwriting craft is most certainly a tip of the cap to the classic Brill Building pop of songwriting legends Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, among others. The first single, "In The Sun" is a bright slice of up-tempo pop that you'd expect from this pair, but that's not to say the duo can't slow things down when they want to. Take the album closer for instance, "If You Can't Sleep."

I think that (unfortunately) some people might shy away from this record for fear that it is so sweet it might cause tooth decay. That most certainly would be their loss because they'd be missing out on two very talented artists converging to create quality pop music in a day and age when it is so sorely needed.

Spring into a Good Book!

jen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 07:31:19 -0700

By: Cindy of hellodollface

The Dream by Harry Bernstein

Harry Bernstein’s mother had a dream for her six children - to move to America where a feast of riches waited for them. The family is dirt poor and has nothing thanks to their father drinking away his paycheck. After years of begging relatives in Chicago to send for them, Harry’s mother finally receives steamship tickets to America. Everything will be better in America, she is convinced.  Sailing across the Atlantic, leaving both poverty and England behind, the Bernstein family ends up in Chicago where life isn’t much better than England. They move to New York City and endure the Great Depression. No money for college makes Harry turn to what he does best - writing. And so begins his career.  Harry Bernstein writes about poverty, the Great Depression, sickness, family, and more in The Dream. It’s a captivating memoir and fans of books like Angela’s Ashes will enjoy every page of this book. What’s most incredible is that Mr. Bernstein published this book at ninety-eight years of age.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

It is 1954 and US Marshalls Teddy and partner, Chuck   are sent to a federal institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of an inmate. It’s cold, dark and rainy - the perfect backdrop for a mystery.  As they launch their inquiry on Shutter Island, Teddy and Chuck are met with several sinister characters including a medical director who blocks their investigation, and a warden who acts like he has a secret to hide.  During a fierce storm, Chuck goes missing and Teddy is left to untangle the mess of odd clues by himself. He discovers there are extreme brain surgeries being performed at the institution and by time Teddy realizes what’s happening, he fears he may have been drugged and next in line for surgery. It’s all very creepy.  The reader is left guessing what could possibly have happened to the missing patient and to Chuck. And will Teddy meet the same fate? A page turning mystery- open to interpretation- best read before seeing the Martin Scorsese directed film on Feb. 19th.

The Love List: Evelyn Evelyn, Snoflake's Nora Skirt and More

admin_lm — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:07:17 -0700

By: Elizabeth Bougerol

Five things we heart this month...

Just out: the eponymous debut of “the world’s only conjoined twin singer-songwriter duo,” Evelyn Evelyn (a.k.a. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls and performance artist Jason Webley). The concept album tells the twins’ story, set against circus-sideshow arrangements (plenty of music box and tuba)—but the dirty, twisted lyrics haul the 1930s carney vibe firmly into 2010. Genius through and through. (Eleven Records)

The high tulip waist is the killer detail in the Nora skirt from Toronto-based rising-star designer Debbie Sutton, under her gorgeous snoflake label. It’s pretty much impossible to have anything other than a gorgeous hourglass figure in this linen-mix piece, a.k.a. the Official Skirt of Summer ’10. $144.

Alice’s wonderland pops up in whimsical miniature antiqued-brass trinkets—a teapot, a clock, a heart inscribed with “Alice”--for this totally delightful Lewis Carroll- (and Tim Burton-)inspired charm bracelet, exclusively from NYC’s cheap-bling emporium GirlPROPS. $14.99

Susannah Gora unearths the roots of all things Brat Pack in “You Couldn’t Ignore Me if You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation” (Crown), which is way more than just a juicy tell-all. She features dozens of interviews with key players from the movies that shaped anyone who was young in the 1980s and looks at the Hughesian reshaping of pop-culture and identity. (But the juicy stuff’s in there, too.)

Don’t dismiss Danish band Asteroids Galaxy Tour once (if?) you get tired of their track “Around the Bend” from that Apple iTouch commercial—you need to get your hands on their album “Fruit” (Small Giants), and spin songs like “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More.” The whole disc is a woozy mix of Mette Lindberg’s sirenish vocals and arrangements that sound like Bjork got her hands on Marvin Gaye’s back catalog.

About Elizabeth Bougerol:

Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall

jen — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:51:22 -0700

In 1961, New Orleans tuba player Allan Jaffe and his wife Sandra turned a drafty French Quarter carriage house into a haven where the town’s struggling, aging musicians could perform. Today Preservation Hall is the de facto Vatican of traditional jazz, and most of the songs you’ll hear there -- played by old black men in rickety chairs to an audience propped against a wall or squatting on the floor -- are twice as old as the Hall itself.

So at first blush, the notion of artists like indie-rock band My Morning Jacket's Yim Yames, Ani DiFranco and Angélique Kidjo lending modern vocals to gutbuckety songs from 1902 about trains and moonshine whiffs of stunt casting; a well-intentioned ploy to give cross-genre appeal to the resulting disc, “Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall…,” whose profits will fund programs for the next generation of New Orleans musicians.

And yet.

Sure, you’ve got old-guarders like Pete Seeger and Merle Haggard on here, whose folk and country genres dovetail naturally with NOLA jazz. Dr. John and Tom Waits are no stretch, either. But things really heat up when young meets old.

Andrew Bird’s “Shake It and Break It” (with fiddle!) is fantastic, and DiFranco’s “Freight Train” perfectly reimagines her as a 1920s ragamuffin street singer. That Yames sings “Louisiana Fairytale” through a megaphone for hand-cranked-Victrola verisimilitude deepens our respect for him; now we know why the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is opening for My Morning Jacket (!) on their next tour. And Brandi Carlile, whose own folky tunes flirt often with gospel, goes it whole hog on the spiritual “Old Rugged Cross.”
It’s dazzling to hear today’s boundary-pushers pay respect and tribute to these songs. It also makes you wonder what music, written today, could endure 100 years of trends and change.

“Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program” out February 2010, Preservation Hall Records/Sony RED Distribution - Available via Amazon

Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, a Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record

joann — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:09:37 -0800

Martha Wainwright mines Edith Piaf’s pain-drenched oeuvre, with electrifying results.

It was a small crowd in an even smaller room, the low-lit rotunda of Manhattan’s art-deco Spiegeltent. There was a piano, an upright bass, and not much else. And then there was Martha Wainwright, apologizing in advance for many things: for her nearly-gone voice (which she dissed as “this lovely treat”), for the band’s lack of rehearsal, and for playing Edith Piaf songs most of us probably wouldn’t recognize. And when she stopped apologizing, and her first raspy notes soared in the pin-drop quiet, it was clear that this experiment, as she called it, was no mere tribute.

That night was eventually turned into the Hal Willner-produced “Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf Record,” recorded live at NYC’s Dixon Place in June 2009. Some call this cabaret-ish foray a departure for the half-Canadian singer-songwriter, but listen to her folk-rock output and it’s all there: open-wound pain, lives wrecked by love, delivered in a whisper or a howl that threatens to crack, and sometimes does. (The song "Bloody Mother-Fucking Asshole," off the EP of the same name, sums it up nicely). Quite simply, in 2010, no-one does pure, raw, frayed-edge emotion like Martha Wainwright; 70 years ago, that was Piaf’s bailiwick. The tiny, tragic French singer is best known today for accordion-drenched froth (“La Vie en Rose”), rafter-thudding bombast (“Je Ne Regrette Rien”), or the part Marion Cotillard buzzed off her eyebrows to play. But Piaf’s less popular oeuvre is considerably darker and more jagged than these extremes suggest, and it’s this liminal space where she and Wainwright meet.

You’ll find no meet-cute romance in the 15 tracks of “Sans Fusils,” but love – awful, illusion-shaking, life-destroying love – is all around. In “Les Blouses Blanches,” a woman locked away in a mental facility re-imagines the doctors’ white coats as the white dress she once wore on a lovers’ picnic. “Marie Trottoir” has such a chipper melody that the story, about a hooker whose heels are a little too high, hair a little too blonde, becomes sweetly innocent. These were Piaf’s people: Prostitutes (she was raised by a madam), vagrants, guinguette musicians and two-bit dancing girls, waitresses who mop up late nights in the café with a last cigarette, wondering when their lives will start. Dreamers, all of them.

“Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf Record”

Import available via 101 Distribution on Amazon: (U.S. release: Spring)

Golden Globe Winners 2010

jen — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:14:14 -0800

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
AVATAR
Lightstorm Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
SANDRA BULLOCK
THE BLIND SIDE

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
JEFF BRIDGES
CRAZY HEART

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
THE HANGOVER
Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
MERYL STREEP
JULIE & JULIA

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ROBERT DOWNEY JR
SHERLOCK HOLMES

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
UP
Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE WHITE RIBBON (GERMANY)
(DAS WEISSE BAND – EINE DEUTSCHE KINDERGESCHICHTE)
X Filme Creative Pool/Les Films Du Losange/Lucky Red/Wega Film; Sony Pictures Classics

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
MO’NIQUE
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
CHRISTOPH WALTZ
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
JAMES CAMERON
AVATAR

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
JASON REITMAN, SHELDON TURNER
UP IN THE AIR

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
MICHAEL GIACCHINO
UP

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
«THE WEARY KIND (THEME FROM CRAZY HEART)» – CRAZY HEART
Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
MAD MEN (AMC)
AMC

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
JULIANNA MARGULIES
THE GOOD WIFE

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
MICHAEL C. HALL
DEXTER

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
GLEE (FOX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
TONI COLLETTE
UNITED STATES OF TARA

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN
30 ROCK

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
GREY GARDENS (HBO)
Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
DREW BARRYMORE
GREY GARDENS

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
KEVIN BACON
TAKING CHANCE

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
CHLOË SEVIGNY
BIG LOVE

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JOHN LITHGOW
DEXTER

The Nanny Returns

jen — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:41:58 -0800

By: Cindy of hellodollface

I confess, I love books like The Nanny Diaries. I remember gobbling that one up and handing it off to my friend telling her it was a must read. When fun yet compelling novels come along, I stop everything and read until I turn that last page. When the movie version came out, you better believe I paid my ten dollars on opening weekend to watch. How could we not love Laura Linney as Mrs. X?

I was thrilled to get an advance copy of Nanny Returns, the sequel to The Nanny Diaries. We get to see what Nan has been up to (living abroad with husband Ryan) and we revisit Grayer, now a rebellious sixteen year old. Nan is pulled back into the lives of the X family and this time, its Grayer and his little brother Stilton that need her help- and love. I talked to authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, here is our exclusive interview.

When and why did you decide to return to the world of Nan?

For years we had been just as curious as readers about what happened to Nan and all the characters in the first book. We pictured a happy hazy sunset for Nan, but didn’t let ourselves think about Grayer too much because we weren’t optimistic about his chances. Then last Spring we had a series of A-ha moments back-to-back and before we knew it a story had unspooled before us. We were inspired by articles we read about private schools being taken over by parents who wanted to buy their children a world without consequences.

Then we read about the Astor trial and something about a son turning his father in for embezzling from his mother really struck us. Of course the Madoff story was rife with gripping family dynamics, from the sons turning in their father to the father/son accounting firm that had enabled the fraud in the first place. It all got our minds churning about pulling back to look at the larger impact of the "X" community.

What did it feel like to slip back into Nan’s shoes? How has she transformed through the last eight years?

It was wonderful to revisit her and all the characters, to write Grayer at four and now at sixteen and Mrs. X is always a good time from a creative standpoint. No longer twenty-one, Nan is now a married woman of thirty-three so we took pains to make sure to carve a realistic story within these new adult parameters. She’s learned how to say no, but her love and compassion still embroil her past what many people might put up with. That’s our girl.

How have the two of you changed since The Nanny Diaries was published?

We have grey hairs! This January will mark the, gulp, 10th year of our writing partnership. We really have grown up together. Thankfully we have much more perspective now than we did in our mid-twenties. We were so unprepared for the attention the book received and were like stunned bunnies for most of it. Now, grounded by our families, dogs and faith in our partnership, we have learned to really enjoy the ups and downs.

How did the great success of the book impact your lives?

It enabled us to leave our other jobs and write full-time, which is amazing. We pinch ourselves every day that we pay the rent telling stories.

Do you like to read? What are some books you’ve read lately?

We love to read! We are both reading Behind the Scenes at the Museum right now, which we love. Nicki just finished The Time Traveler’s Wife, which was transporting. And Emma just finished Brideshead Revisited. We like sweeping stories that take place in beautiful places. That said, Nicki also just squeezed in The Road, which was beautiful, if apocalyptic.

Because I run a beauty blog, I have to ask what are your favorite beauty products?

We love beauty products in general and could live at Sephora. Nicki loves Trish McEvoy, especially the under-eye concealor and the mascara—no raccoon eyes. Emma loves Trish too and mixes it up with Becca. And we’re both big fans of the Nude skin care line.

What’s next for the two of you?

We are currently working on our next Young Adult novel, which will be a follow up to The Real Real, our satire of the world of teen reality television.

Serena Ryder: Is It O.K.

jen — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:12:55 -0800

Atlantic Records
Canada has given the United States many things over the years. Mike Meyers, Jim Carrey and Alex Trebeck all hail from the Great White North. Musically, they have offered up such luminaries as Bryan Adams, Rush, and Shania Twain to name a few. Well, now you can add Serena Ryder to that list.Ryder's new CD on Atlantic Records Is It O.K. is her third release of folk-pop flavored songs that cannot help but rekindle images of that other Ontario songstress Alanis Morissette. While this CD does sound less like Morissette than her previous efforts, one can still hear the similarities, on songs like, "Weak In The Knees". Ryder is NOT an Alanis clone, by any means. Throughout the album she delivers songs with an emotional intensity that forces the listener to sit up and take notice. The single, "Little Bit Of Red", is a break-up song delivered with stinging vitriol, while "Dark As The Black" slows her usual pace down a bit. Ryder wears her influences on her sleeve. The cream of the female rock cannon, like Janis Joplin and Melissa Ethridge are heard, but the sound is distinctly her own. Ryder is not just a vocal talent, she wrote many of the songs on this disc and when she straps on her guitar she reveals her more than competent ability with the instrument. The CD was released in her native Canada earlier this year earning her the "Adult Alternative Album of the Year" at the 2009 Juno Awards. Producer John Alagia, who has worked with John Mayer, and Dave Matthews adds some polish that was not on her earlier efforts. It is only a matter of time before listeners in the U.S. find out what Canadian audiences have already found out, Serena Ryder is a talent to be reckoned with.

Yo La Tengo: Popular Songs

jen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:51:28 -0700

Matador RecordsWhen writing a music review, and the reviewer uses the phrase, "The Pride of New Jersey", most thoughts go almost immediately to that guy they call "The Boss" or the other one simply referred to as "Jovi." Well, this time that moniker belongs to the three intrepid souls from Hoboken, NJ who make up Yo La Tengo. Yo La Tengo has been in existence since 1984 with husband and wife team Ira Kaplan (guitar and organ) and Georgia Hubley (drums) and a rotating slot for the bass player until 1992 when James McNew settled in on that spot permanently.
They have been setting the alternative music world on its collective ear for years now and the streak continues with their latest Matador Records release Popular Songs. Earlier this year, in disguise as the Condo Fucks, YLT released an album of cover songs called Fuckbook. That collection of covers includes takes on songs by The Small Faces, The Beach Boys and Richard Hell to name a few, and the title of the album playfully recalls the bands 1990 mostly covers album Fakebook.
While as the Condo Fucks the band tapped into its inner garage band, Popular Songs, returns them to the ambient but distinctly unique sound of past YLT albums. If Yo La Tengo are anything, they are eclectic. Tracks like, "By Two's" and "When It's Dark" are delivered at almost a whisper, while "Periodically Double or Triple" is an organ heavy groover and "If It's True" is a nice homage to the Motown sound with its driving bass line and sweeping strings.
The second half of the CD falls into the typical Yo La Tengo extended feedback jams. The energy and noise of tunes like The closer "And The Glitter Is Gone" are great, but it seems like they really come off better in a live setting than they do on record.
All things considered, YLT have delivered yet another winner with Popular Songs and coupled with their release of Fuckbook earlier this year, it's safe to say it's been a pretty amazing (and diverse) year for our friends from Hoboken, NJ.

Marshall Crenshaw: Jaggedland

jen — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:39:34 -0700

429 Records
It seems like Marshall Crenshaw has never been able to truly get out from the shadow of his universally hailed 1982 debut masterpiece, Marshall Crenshaw. The master of jangle-pop songwriting, whose last album was 2003's What's In The Bag?, has returned on 429 records with Jaggedland. Let me start off by saying that there is no finer craftsmen of pop songs in rock today, and he has held this title since his '82 debut. The problem is that he has defended this championship brilliantly for so many years, that in many people's eyes he has never evolved.
As this new release will attest, his songs and talent run much much deeper than he is many times given credit for. There is also some down right smoking guitar work laid down, another talent where he frequently is not given his proper due. I have a feeling that Jaggedland will be the CD that shows the world that Marshall Crenshaw is not a one trick pony.
Jaggedland enlists the help of some top flight studio musicians, including session drummer extraordinaire Jim Keltner and slide guitarist Greg Leisz. Wayne Kramer from Detroit's MC5 is on hand for the track "Stormy River". Vibraphonist Emil Richards, known for his work on the Beach Boys seminal LP Pet Sounds and bassist Sebastian Steinberg from the group Soul Coughing also provide Crenshaw with powerful back up.
Lyrically, this Crenshaw is a far cry from the man who openned, "Someday, Someway" and "Something's Gonna Happen". New songs like, "Long Hard Road" and "Sunday Blues" tackle subjects that are much darker than anything he has done in the past. "Just Snap Your Fingers" is a beautiful declaration of love and the album closer "Live and Learn" co-written with Dan Bern shows that Crenshaw has certainly done just that over the course of his 27 year career.
Crenshaw is currently on tour in support of Jaggedland hitting east coast cities right now, finishing up at The City Winery in Manhattan, NY on November 20th.

Rhett Miller

jen — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:09:55 -0700

by Scott Butler
One of Dallas Texas' favorite sons and Old 97's front man Rhett Miller is back with a new self titled solo album. This is his fourth solo outing dating back to 1989's Mythologies which was recorded while Miller was still in high school and produced by his future Old 97's running mate Murray Hammond.
With each solo outing Miller has shown growth in not only his songwriting, but in his delivery as well. He somehow miraculously makes these albums have a whole different feel than his work with his band mates.... not an easy trick.The album was produced by Salim Nourallah who produced the Old 97's last record Blame It On Gravity. Salim not only lends his production talents here, but he also sits in on every track on the album in different capacities ranging from bass, guitar, organ, tambourine and background vocals. Also along for the odyssey is another Dallas rocker, John Dufhilo who many may know as the man behind the band Deathray Davies and as the drummer for Apples In Stereo. He assumes drumming duties for this record as well.Jon Brion, who has done scores for films like "Magnolia", "Punch Drunk Love" and "I Heart Huckabees" sits in here on guitar and bass and Billy Harvey provides excellent electric guitar (among other things) throughout. With such a stout backing band, one might think that this would be atotally rockin' affair, but it is quite the contrary. This is probably Rhett's most subdued album so far. Most of Millers songs from his previous solo efforts as well as his Old 97's output deal with that all important four letter word.... L-O-V-E, and this album is no different. With song titles like, " Nobody Says I Love You Anymore"," Like Love", and "If It's Not Love", Miller tackles familiar territory. The difference comes in the maturity of these new songs. On "Happy Birthday Don't Die", Miller shifts gears by delivering a lyrically abstract ditty that stands in contrast to the rest of the CD.But longtime fans should not lose heart, there is plenty of the clever, rollicking, pop masterpieces that have come to define Miller's work. Much of this album was recorded after the passing of Miller's grandmother and the suicide of personal hero, author David Foster Wallace. This may account for the more overall somber tone. Rhett Miller is his strongest solo work to date and though it leans to a more mellow side it shows a pop tunesmith whose work has become more sophisticated with age.

Up and Adam

jen — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:18:11 -0700

By Jonathan Silva

For more than twenty years, Adam Sandler has been alluring audiences with his talent. Who would’ve thought the goofball who wrote and performed for five years on “Saturday Night Live” could turn into one of the highest grossing actor/comedians of our time with his ability to send people into laugh-til-they-cry-abetic shock. And even though he is still best known for his roles in “Happy Gilmore”, “Billy Madison”, and “The Waterboy”, Adam Sandler has been able to shift into a more serious genre of cinema, with his latest movie “Funny People” continuing his transformation.
“Funny People” features Sandler as George Simmons, a flourishing comedian diagnosed with a terminal illness. Directed by Judd Apatow, the movie focuses on George coping with his illness as well as trying to form a bond with struggling comedian Ira Wright, played by Seth Rogen. With other big names including Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, and a slew of comedians making cameos, this movie is bound to be considered one of his best works.
Some actors get their big break, star in one movie, and then fade. Most never even get that opportunity. Some even get that opportunity, give into the vices of Hollywood and become a tabloid cover story. With so many ways to fail and disappoint in this industry, it’s uncanny how well Adam Sandler has avoided these scenarios to become a star and, what many may consider, a legend. The only time he will ever disappoint, is when he hangs his hat and gives up the big screen.

Dinosaur Jr. : Farm

joann — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:25:43 -0700

Farm

Jagjaguwar Records

The mighty Dinosaur jr. have returned. The trio that rocked the alternative music world with three stellar albums in the 80's and then regrouped with their original members in 2006 for the new disc Beyond, are back again with another instant classic, Farm on Jajaguwar Records.

The breakup of this lineup of the band has been well documented over the years. Bassist Lou Barlow and guitarist/vocalist J. Mascis went head-to-head over the inclusion (or lack) of Barlow's songs on Dinosaur jr. albums. The result of the conflict ended with Barlow being given his walking papers. He went on to indie super stardom with his band Sebadoh, memorably skewering Mascis with songs like "The Freed Pig".

Meanwhile Mascis continued on under the Dinosaur jr. moniker with some very high points like 1991's Green Mind and a slot on the main stage at the 1993 Lollapalooza Festival. Drummer Murph (Emmet Murphy) played with Mascis until he was unceremoniously "let go" in 1993 before the recording of Without A Sound.

This reunion and these past two Dino jr. albums are for sure something most hardcore fans of the band thought would never happen, but here we are after all this time and supposed bad blood between the members talking about them and their new disc. Farm, does not push any boundaries musically, but who cares! The bone crunching guitar acrobatics and the sleepy vocal delivery that fans of the band have come to know and love is all here.

From the opening of the lead-off track "Pieces", which transports the listener back to the early 90's heyday of alt. rock, to "Friends" which leaps out of the speakers with its super-catchy riff, and forces you to bob your head along in approval. Barlow contributes two songs to the disc, "Your Weather" and "Imagination Blind", and Murph as always showcases his thunderous underrated drumming skills throughout the entire album. There really is something to be said for the chemistry and beautiful noise these three guys create together.

The band will be on the road through late November in support of Farm. Go out and pick this one up and then go experience this band and their sound LIVE. You won't regret it.

The Funny Kid in Town!

jen — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:25:39 -0700

By Jonathan Silva

What would happen if you took an 18-year old fresh out of high school, gave them a keyboard and a guitar, and told them to perform stand- up? Well, hilarity would ensue if that person being discussed was Bo Burnham.

Even before becoming the youngest person ever to record a Comedy Central Presents Special, Burnham had made a name for himself on websites like YouTube and Break.com. It was those videos that snagged him nation-wide notoriety for his songwriting as well as a four record deals from Comedy Central Records. He has even been selected by Judd Apatow to work on the soundtrack to a High School Musical style comedy. A perfect mash up of a show tunes type of sound and politically incorrect satire puts Bo Burnham ahead of the pack in this new breed of alternative comedy that’s hitting the clubs. Whether he’s singing about his family’s questioning of his sexual preference, explaining how Hellen Keller was the perfect woman, or spitting nonsensical raps filled with puns, Burnham puts the audience in quite a pickle because they have to choose between non-stop laughter or singing along. Even during breaks in his songs, his well-timed facial expressions keep the audience from taking a much-needed breath. Upon seeing his special on Comedy Central for the first time, I decided I had to go out and buy his album. The audio tracks are amazing, but to get the full effect you must watch the included DVD of his stand up that also contains bonus clips of his online videos. If you like stand up, or even comedy in general go get this album. Not just because it’s funny… but because he’s Bo-Yo.

New York Dolls: 'Cause I sez so

joann — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:44:08 -0700

By Bones Butler

Back in 1973 when The Dolls first burst upon the scene, most people didn't really know what to make of them. They were cross dressers with a seemingly primitive brand of urban sleaze rock at the height of prog rock excess.

After an appearance on the BBC show "The Old Grey Whistle Test" performing the now classic Jet Boy from their first LP, the announcer glibly referred to them as "Mock Rock" . What he failed to realize was that The Dolls were way ahead of the curve, laying the groundwork for not only the soon to explode Punk scene, but with their androgynous look, they also influenced a slew of kids who would take their act to unprecedented heights in the Hair Metal scene.

The original incarnation of the band lasted for only two brilliant albums before imploding in 1975 with the departure of guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan. David Johansen and the other dolls soldiered on until 1977 before calling it quits.

It was not until 2004 that Morrissey (of the Smiths) coaxed the three living original members of the band to reunite for that years Meltdown Festival in London (Thunders died of an overdose in 1991 and Nolan of a stroke in 1992). The reunion was a success, but bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away from leukemia shortly after this event.

David Johansen and Syl Sylvain (Designer, Issac Mizrahi's cousin) continued on with a new lineup in 2006 for their third studio release, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This, a record that held true to The Dolls aesthetic of raucous rock and roll with celebrity help from the likes of Iggy Pop and Michael Stipe. Now, three years later, they are back with their latest release, 'Cause I Sez So on ATCO Records and they are again teamed with the producer of their original LP from 1973 Todd Rundgren.

It is now 36 years since the group worked with Rundgren and they are attempting to capture lightening in a bottle for a second time. Recorded at Utopia Studios in Kauai, Hawaii, they come damn close. There are 11 new songs and a dub reworking of the song "Trash" from the first album.

The title track and the follow up Muddy Bones, have all of the loud guitars and bold attitude of their first album, while manny of the songs that follow show a mellower side. This Is Ridiculous is a slinky blues number, and Temptation To Exist sounds like it would fit right in on a soundtrack to a classic Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western.

Making Rain is where the group really expands upon and goes beyond the traditional NY Dolls sound. While that track has a much more "adult rock" sound, there are still songs that would meld quite nicely on classic Dolls albums, like Nobody Got No Bizness and Exocism Of Despair.

While long time fans might yearn for that signature Thunders guitar sound, Steve Conte really does a pretty amazing job at replacing him with a sound that is equal parts homage and original, and I think anyone would be hard pressed to find as tight a rhythm section as Sami Yaffa and Brian Delany in rock today.

This CD was also released as a Best Buy stores exclusive with a five track (3 from their first album and two from their second) live Bonus Disc entitled LIVE From Planet Earth.

Slaid Cleaves: Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away

joann — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:58:44 -0700

Music Road Records

by Bones Butler

It's really depressing to listen to the radio in the 21st Century, and hear the dreck that gets played. Then you come across a brilliant singer/songwriter like Slaid Cleaves who has been putting out consistently wonderful records since 1990 to very little fanfare.

With his latest release, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away, Slaid is finally poised for his long overdue "Breakout". This is his 7th album of original material following the 2006 release "Unsung" which was an all covers affair.

With Slaid again, is producer/musician extraordinaire Gurf Morlix who has worked with artists such as Lucinda Williams and Robert Earl Keen and has worked off and on with Cleaves since 1997's "No Angel Knows."

Also back for more are frequent collaborators, Rod Picott whose friendship with Cleaves goes all the way back to when they were growing up together in Maine, and Texas favorite Adam Carroll.

Cleaves has spent the majority of the last five years touring and this CD shows his growth as a songwriter with tracks like the opener "Cry." This is the song where the title of the album comes from and sets the tone for the rest of the tracks that follow. It has a more internal, personal feel than some of his past recordings. Slaid is definitely stretching out in new directions on this CD, but yet he retains that warm down home feeling that his fans have come to love over the years.

"Green Mountains and Me", should please fans of Bluegrass music, while "Black T-Shirt", and "Tumbleweed Stew" are pure Slaid incorporating his unique wit and sense of humor with colorful storytelling.

The last song, "Temporary" closes out the CD by reminding the listener to enjoy every aspect of your life now, because it is all fleeting. The liner notes by Maine resident and Slaid fan, renowned author Stephen King, who says, “This is a record that just goddam works, from first to last.” I agree!

I say "Miley" You say "Cyrus"

joann — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:40:25 -0700

by Heidi Oringer

I say “Miley.” You say “Cyrus.” I say “Hannah.” You say “Montana.” I say “not bad.” You say?

I recently had the rare opportunity to see this young superstar in a small venue, private performance. Being sorely out of the age bracket, I realized I would not font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">comprehend the full value of the experience unless in the company of die-hard fans. Thus, I took my son and his “girlfriend”…both four-years-old. She LOVES Miley-Hannah and he LOVES her. So it stands to reason if she loves M/H, he loves M/H too. Truth is, he didn’t even know Miley and Hannah were the same person. And he had absolutely no clue why “the man with the eyebrow under his lip” was singing with her. I briefly explained that man was her daddy, Billy Ray Cyrus, formerly a mullet-sporting, one hit wonder, whose career was resurrected by hanging onto the coattails of his daughter. My son said, “Huh”, to which I replied, “He’s babysitting.” My son then decided he and I should sing together and proceeded to belt out “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” I was to respond, “Spongebob Squarepants,” but instead, firmly suggested we not work on our routine DURING the concert.

As for the show, both kids held their ears because the music was too loud. My son’s “girlfriend” knew the lyrics to a few songs like, “Climb,” after studying the videos with her mom on YouTube. Neither child cared much for Billy Ray’s solos like “Back to Tennessee,” which was actually too hard rockin’ for the rest of the crowd, a gaggle of tween girls and their irritating mothers. (I can’t tell you how many moms scuffled with each other over their kid’s inability to see the stage. Puhleeeze!) But the tweenies did holler, sing along, dance and hang on Miley/Hannah’s every word. Several shouted out a request for “Hoedown Throwdown.” (It didn’t ring a bell to me as I thought it was the anthem to the Cyrus family picnic.) Miley/Hannah promised she’d sing it after her last song, “Full Circles.” She requested the band play “throwdown,” but they claimed not to remember it. I figured that was the end of that and she’d say “goodbye.” Instead, she sang the song a cappella while dancing the accompanying routine. The tweenies rejoiced in unison. When it was over, M/H applauded the crowd on THEIR performance, thanked them, then blew a big kiss and walked away.

I have to admit…I was impressed.

Clem Snide: Hungry Bird

joann — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 07:10:29 -0700

by Bones Butler

429 Records

"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.", so said Mark Twain in response to rumors about his supposed death.

The same quote could be used in 2009 by Eef Barzelay and his band Clem Snide.

Hungry Bird is the sixth long player from the band, but the first since their apparent break up in 2006. This album was recorded in '06, but was shelved. In the time between then and now, Barzelay released two solo recordings, Bitter Honey in '06 and Lose Big in '08.

The first was a very sparse personal record of just Eef and his acoustic guitar, while the second had a decidedly fuller pop sound.

Cousins Brendan and Pete Fitzpatrick are the only two returning members of the band from their previous release End Of Love from 2005. Hungry Bird is a much more somber affair where as Love had a good amount of bouncy numbers.

This CD maintains the bands ties to the Alt-Country world a little more than Barzely's solo stuff did.

But the country influences are and always were, subtle underpinnings for the slightly askew lyrics of Barzelay.

Clem Snide took their name from a character that appeared in several William S. Burroughs novels, most famously, Naked Lunch. On the song "Encounter At 3 AM", they keep that literary connection intact with guest performer, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Franz Wright doing a spoken word piece over a beautiful backing track. The album closes out with the heartbreaking, "With All My Heart".

Upon repeated listens, this CD really gets under your skin, (in a good way that is). On "Our Time Will Come", Barzelay sings, "our time will come, long after we die...". Let's hope not .

Keep Your Soul: A Tribute To Doug Sahm

joann — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:41:55 -0700

by Bones Butler

Vanguard Records

Finally a tribute to one of the most underrated artists of all time! It is a crime that Sir Doug is not yet in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Throughout his career he had truly seen and done it all. Starting when he was nine years old and known as "Little" Doug Sahm, a country music child prodigy, to the original incarnation of The Sir Douglas Quintet in the mid 60's, right on through to his eclectic solo recordings and his work with the Tex-Mex supergroup Texas Tornados.

Now ten years after Doug's much too early passing from a heart attack, comes a tribute from colleagues, admirers and family. A true musical genius, Doug was able to meld rock, country, R&B, soul, jazz, cajun and many other styles into a unique musical brew unlike anything else. So, It's only fitting that many of the artists included here are fellow musical mavericks from the great state of Texas that have made careers following in the footsteps of Sahm.

Delbert McClinton, another Texas legend does a great job with "Texas Me", which was an homage to his home state penned while Sahm was living in California during a self imposed exile in the late 60's and early 70's.

Many people with whom Sahm had played with over the years are here to pay their respects to their friend too, notably Flaco Jimenez who played with Doug in the Texas Tornados does "Ta Bueno Compadre (It's OK Friend)". The Gourds from Austin, TX who played with Sahm on his S.D.Q. '98 CD put in a nice jumping version of "Nuevo Laredo".

The Tex-Mex stalwart Joe "King" Carrasco joins forces with the remaining Texas Tornados, Jimenez and Augie Meyers on "Adios Mexico". Another Texas musical chameleon Alejandro Escovedo, puts his own twist on "Too Little Too Late".

The CD closes out with one of Doug's most famous tracks, "Mendocino" interpreted here by Sahm's son Shawn and Augie Meyers who played with Sahm on and off since the original lineup of The Sir Douglas Quintet.

From beginning to end these 14 tracks prove to be a very enjoyable listen. Longtime fans should be pleased and with any amount of luck some new fans too.

U2: No Line on the Horizon

joann — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:41:10 -0700

No Line On The Horizon

Interscope

by Bones Butler

U2's first teaming with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois was with their fourth full length release in 1984 The Unforgettable Fire.

It was Eno and Lanois who took U2 down a very different musical path than what they were used to on their earlier releases.

U2 has again joined forces with Eno and Lanois in 2009 for this newest release No Line On The Horizon.

Also on board, Producer, Steve Lillywhite who has been with the band in one form or another since their first full length LP Boy in 1980.

No Line is the band's 12th studio release and comes almost five years after How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

After their experimental period of Zooropa and Pop, many saw U2's last two albums as a return to true rock band form. And No Line is very much about returning to the experimentation and taking chances again, much in the way they did with The Unforgettable Fire. One definitely gets the feeling they were trying to recreate Fire with moody numbers like "White As Snow" and "Cedars Of Lebanon".

There are also some rockers that just don't quite work. The single "Get On Your Boots" and "Stand Up Comedy" are prime examples." Not to say they are unlistenable, but they sound as if they missed their mark in trying to combine their rock side with their electronic ambitions.

"FEZ-Being Born" also has their production teams fingerprints all over it, with the now famous guitar delay effects of The Edge that have been put to much better use in so many other songs.

The real strength of the CD lies with the first three songs. The title track, "Magnificent" and "Moment Of Surrender". These three sound like the band they were always meant to sound like...a band of beauty and force that can at the same time sound familiar and daring. It's just a shame the whole album isn't able to consistently take the listener to that special place.

Chris Cornell: Scream

joann — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:28:10 -0700

Letter from the Editor

Chris Cornell
Mosley Music/Interscope

Being the huge Chris Cornell fan I am, I felt it only necessary that I personally write this one.

I guess I should be much more open minded, but hell if I felt like listening to Britney Spears or Tupac, I would be.

Is it pop, hip hop, Indian? I can’t tell.

Appropriately titled; SCREAM, this one makes me wanna do just that!

Pretty much—a disappointment for this die hard Cornell lover. I know he is a chameleon and up til now I’ve loved every incarnation—Soundgarden to Solo-- Temple of the Dog, Eleven, Audioslave.

Produced by Hip Hop’s Timbaland, otherwise known as Timothy Zachery Mosley

I ask "What up Chris?"

But even these Poppy synthesizers, organs and electric drums, can't kill the amazing pipes of Chris Cornell. The guy can make the depths of hell sound like heaven. And the ly

rics of course---always poignant and hair-raising, but not sure I can get past the noise…

Like the lyrics to the sixth track, remnants and riffs from old grunge are “Never Far Away”, and by the time I get to this one---I’m starting to get it, I’m starting to like it, uh oh—these lyrics rock…as do all of his lyrics…and he’s won me over.

Justin Timberlake lends backup to the next track “Take Me Alive.” Pretty nice.

The previously released single; “Long Gone” is next, but a synthesized version.

Who am I to criticize?

I guess all music should be appreciated, yes? YES.

And if I really love Chris, I’ll love this too? YES, YES.

But come back Chris ---I like the old sounds better.

Mariah Carey: The Ballads

joann — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:13:49 -0700

by: Bones Butler

Columbia/Legacy

Mariah Carey evokes strong emotion. Many people have a hard time separating Mariah the tabloid target with Mariah the singer. The fact is, she is one of the best selling female artists of all time.

This compilation is exactly what the title says it is, gathering 18 of her biggest and best loved ballads, half of which were number 1 hits. They are all here, from "Hero" to "Vision Of Love" to "One Sweet Day" w/ Boyz II Men, which stayed atop the charts for a record 16 weeks back in 1995.

This is the sentimental side of Mariah during her tenure at Columbia in the late 90's, before she left the label to explore more of her hip-hop diva side and also suffered some personal and career setbacks ( Glitter anyone?).

This CD is from a time when Mariah absolutely dominated the pop airwaves. She even surpassed records set but such musical heavyweights as The Beatles and Elvis Presley in chart domination during this prolific period.

Also making appearances with Mariah throughout this set are Luther Vandross, Usher, Nas & Joe and her pairing with another of pop's most successful female artists of all time Whitney Houston on When You Believe.

Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream

admin_lm — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:27:25 -0800

by Christopher Blaise Zotti

There are many phases of Bruce Springsteen's career:

Early Bruce

Classic Bruce

80's Bruce

Post E-Street Bruce

Reunion Bru

Rising Bruce

In between there was Tom Joad-Bruce and Seger Sessions-Bruce. The latest album from The Boss could be the start of a new phase known as Happy-Bruce. "Working On A Dream" has the feel of a satisfied man who sings songs of love, hope and content.

This is Bruce's third full album with the E-Street Band since 2002's "The Rising". It comes off the heels of 2007's "Magic" and was conceived at various times in between shows from the tour. As a whole, the album flows nicely and has one, maybe two songs that could be considered as filler. Clarence's sax, which has been a staple on E Street, makes a very small contribution to these new songs. However, Bruce did not just mail this one in. His heart and soul is all over this record.

The CD leads off with "Outlaw Pete", which clocks in at 8 minutes. It's his longest E Street effort since "Drive All Night" from 1980's "The River". It's a bit lengthy, but you find yourself pulling for "Pete" the same way you pulled for the Magic Rat. Picture "Outlaw Pete" as a late Nineteenth Century "Jungleland". It's not quite as majestic, but the story telling is all Bruce.

"My Lucky Day", the only new song that has the classic E-Street sound with piano, guitar & sax, is a positive love song. You can also hear a faint back up/sing-a-long with Miami Steve, almost reminiscent of "Two Hearts" again, from the aforementioned "The River".

The title track is a constant uplifting thought that the dream will eventually come. Even though there is the possibility of failure, the singer's attitude is that of hope, where as the pleasantly sounding "Queen Of The Super Market" has the voice of a man who is too shy to tell the woman he loves his true feelings, but is happy just to catch a glimpse of her face.

“The Last Carnival” is a sequel to “Wild Billy’s Circus Story”, from the album "The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle" and also appears to be a tribute to the late organist, Danny Federici, who died of cancer in 2008. Although he was not identified as Wild Billy, Federici was known to be the most outlandish member of E Street nation back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s. “The Last Carnival” has the character having dropped his “Wild” moniker and is clearly not moving on with the show. Bruce shows his love for his fallen comrade, but as the lyrics mention, the “train” keeps on moving—the band will inevitably play on.

Some of Bruce's influences can be easily heard from Bluegrass & Country ("Outlaw Pete", "Good Eye", "Tomorrow Never Knows") to late 60's rock-specifically the Byrds ("Kingdom Of Days, "Surprise, Surprise").There are also some that sound as if they came straight from the "Magic"

sessions ("What Love Can Do", "This Life", "Life Itself").

Where ever these new gems were created from, make no mistake, they are gems. Where Bruce used to sing about love lost and desperation, this collection of songs is a wonderfully positive collection of happiness. Bruce doesn't need to work on his dream. He's already got it and this Summer he will share it throughout North America and Europe.

Scott Weiland: Happy in Galoshes

admin_lm — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:21:26 -0700

by Bones Butler

t;Happy In Galoshes – 2 CD Deluxe Edition

Label – Softdrive / New West

With his latest effort, Scott Weiland has pretty much exactly picked up where he left off with his first solo release from ten years ago, 12 Bar Blues.

Just as on 12 Bar, Happy In Galoshes is greatly inspired by the glam rock movement of the early 1970's, but with modern day twists. Scott dabbled in the genre with his previous groups, STP and Velvet Revolver, but was never able or allowed to expand on it like he has with his solo recordings. His love of glam is no more evident than with a respectable cover of David Bowie's "Fame".

Scott has never been afraid to challenge the listener by jumping from style to style on the same album, many times from song to song. This CD is no different. He jumps from glam like on the opener "Missing Cleveland", to psychedelia on "She Sold Her System", to lounge on "Killing Me Sweetly".

One of the high points is the up tempo "Blind Confusion", where he really gets it right by crafting a superb pop song with a slight edge to it.

Scott is joined on the album by members of No Doubt who helped write the song "Paralysis". The CD was also issued as a 2 disc deluxe edition with another 10 songs, one being a faithful rendition of The Smiths classic "Reel Around The Fountain".

It's probably not the CD the hardcore fans of Stone Temple Pilots or Velvet Revolver wanted him to make, but that does not mean Weiland has not created if anything a very interesting sonic tapestry of songs that should be explored.

Ween: At The Cat’s Cradle, 1992

admin_lm — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:25:13 -0700

by Bones Butler

At The Cat’s Cradle, 1992

MVDaudio / Chocodog

Let me start off by saying that WEEN are geniuses and this rare live recording from 1992 proves it. Recorded live at the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC, this set captures the early touring incarnation of just Dean and Gene Ween along with their trusty Yamaha Digital Audio Tape Deck to protect the beat on bass and drums.

Fans of early stage WEEN will be brought back to a time and place when they were first honing their twisted act while on the road in support of their major label debut for Elektra records, Pure Guava.

At a time in their career when many thought their act was too weird to go beyond cult status, WEEN persevered with their unique brand of humor and undeniable talent. It was that perseverance over the course of their career that has since won over a

great many to their brand of bizarro pop. Tracks from this live set include staples like "Pork Roll Egg And Cheese", "Never Squeal On Th' Pusher" and "Captain Fantasy". The guys were also not afraid to go purely primitive with renditions of "Cover It With Gas And Set It On Fire" and "You Fucked Up".

The flow of the CD suffers a little with the limitations they had of working with a DAT machine instead of an actual live band to back them up. Some of the banter between the duo and with the audience provides fans new to WEEN what their early shows were really like.

Since getting their start in New Hope, Pennsylvania back in 1984, nobody has even come close to WEEN in mastering the art of combining the hilarious with the truly disturbing and in many cases putting it to wonderful music. This late '92 set shows they were still a tad green, but certainly beginning to expand in more interesting directions. This CD also comes with a DVD of 17 live performances from late 1991 and early 1992 while in the Netherlands, Trenton, NJ and Columbus, OH

Pete Seeger: At 89

admin_lm — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:45:54 -0700

At 89 Label: Appleseed RecordingsRelease Date: Sept. 30, 2008
American icon Pete Seeger is enjoying a renewed popularity, thanks in part to Bruce Springsteen’s CD “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions” and the recent PBS documentary “Pete Seeger: The Power Of Song”. Now at 89 years of age he is set to release a brand new CD on Appleseed Recordings, aptly titled “At 89”.
It includes 26 tracks never previously recorded, and serves to remind us of just how an important and vital artist Pete was and remains. Even at this late stage in life Pete’s refusal to mellow and back down from the social and political issues that plague us, inspires by example. But it is his ability to intertwine pointed criticism with uplifting songs of pure joy that has been his calling card for over 60 decades and this disc holds true to that pattern.
The CD is sequenced with brief interludes of banjo instrumentals and spoken word intros. If anyone has ever been fortunate enough to see Pete perform live they know that it is his mission in life to get people involved, be it by sing-a-longs or by impassioned pleas to become active participants in their communities by helping put an end to war or saving the planet. Songs like, “Throw Away The Shad Net”, and “If It Can’t Be Reduced”, make the listener aware of their need to take whatever steps they can to protect the environment. The updating of “Waist Deep In The Big Muddy”, originally composed during the Viet Nam War now belongs to a new generation in the midst of the Iraq War. Pete is joined by friends and family like violinist Sara Milonovich, the Hudson River Sloop Singers, niece Sonya Cohen and producer/musician David Bernz.

Metallica: Death Magnetic

admin_lm — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:07:59 -0700

Death MagneticLable: Warner Bros. RecordsRelease Date: Sept. 12, 2008
Metallica’s back! Thanks to Rick Rubin, who is known for his gifts as a producer that can reconnect a group or artist with their “classic” sound. The band’s previous effort 2003’s “St. Anger” was an attempt to recapture that sound but because of the inner turmoil within the band (captured on the DVD “Some Kind of Monster”), they missed their mark. With “Death Magnetic”, Kirk Hammet and James Hetfield have returned to what they do best, the crunching dual staccato guitar attack. The ever-present lightening quick double bass drums of Lars Ulrich help move things along at a break neck speed.This is Metallica’s ninth studio release and first with a new Producer since Bob Rock came on board back in 1991, and the fresh blood behind the board has thankfully brought back some of the aggression that made “Kill ‘Em All” and “Ride The Lightening” so invigorating. Death Magnetic comes in with a total of 10 tracks each of which clock in at over five minutes. “The Day That Never Comes” starts out as a ballad morphing into traditional thrash by its conclusion. And the “Unforgiven III”, seems like an unnecessary addition to an already drawn out saga. But, these are only minor complaints about a very solid CD from the once again reigning champs of metal.

Lucinda Williams: Little Honey

admin_lm — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:55:22 -0700

Little Honey
Label: Lost Highway
Release Date: Oct. 14, 2008

“Little Honey” is Lucinda’s Williams best album since her 1998 masterpiece “Car Wheels On a Gravel Road” and her fans will know that that is saying something!

That is not to say that she hasn’t been making remarkable music for the past ten years, but it seems that with this CD she allows herself to explore her rock-n-roll side a little more than in recent years.

What’s great about this disc is that you get all the best of Lucinda. From the opening rocker, Real Love helped out on backing vocals by Mathew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, to her trademark sexy smoldering vocals and introspective lyrics on Tears of Joy and Heaven Blues.

Elvis Costello also makes an appearance on the loose duet Jailhouse Tears that reveals Lucinda having some fun.

Lucinda’s touring band Buick 6, are here throughout and as always flow seamlessly with her between the rave-ups and the ballads.

Little Rock Star is a song of warning to all the up and comers in the music biz to not be taken in by the trappings of fame.

Lucinda finally seems happy now that she is engaged to the records’ co-producer Tom Overby and that happiness thankfully spills over onto this record.

What better way to close out an album like this than with a cover of AC/DC’s rowdy and true It’s A Long Way To The Top. She better than most, knows how long a way it really is.

Buy this album now

Koufax: Strugglers

admin_lm — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:29:30 -0800

Strugglers
Label: Doghouse Records
Release Date: September 23, 2008

On Koufax’s fourth full length release “Strugglers” (their second for Doghouse Records), front man Robert Suchan and co. are expanding upon their already proven formula of piano and synthesizer heavy pop. What began on the previous release “Hard Times Are In Fashion”, is more fully realized this time around.

The keyboards of Jared Rosenberg are gone and more upfront are the guitars, bass and drums. Lyrically, Koufax has gotten away from the emo-ish, lovers lament songs in favor of tunes with a decidedly more political slant.

The lead off track, “Any Moment Now”, “Once In a While”, and the closer “California Taught Us Well” throw a curve with some blasting saxophone work by Mark Southerland and Scott Madsen that recalls the best work of Andy Mackay and Roxy Music.

Fans of their earlier work will find solace in tracks like “In The Name of Love” and “Facsimile” where the keys and synths make a stronger appearance, but aren't the focal point like on past records, they are creatively layered into the songs.

As the title track suggests, this CD mainly consists of songs that make a point of bringing many of the world’s injustices to light, and it rocks harder than anything they’ve done before.

Pretenders: Break Up The Concrete

admin_lm — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:54:06 -0800

Break Up the Concrete

Label: Shangri-La Music
Release Date: October 7, 2008

Break Up the Concrete is the first studio album in six years for Chryssie Hynde and co. and their ninth studio album overall. It also happens to be their most solid effort in quite awhile.

The CD wastes no time starting off with the rockabilly jumper, Boots Of Chinese Plastic. Fans starving for a return to form of their first few albums won’t be disappointed with songs like Don’t Cut Your Hair and the title track which includes the often used, but never tired rock and roll “beat” made famous by the recently departed legend Bo Diddley.

Session man supreme Jim Keltner is on drums replacing the only other living original band member Martin Chambers (whom Hynde has toured with in recent years). Also on hand to give the album a very country-rock feel is pedal steel guitar player Eric Heywood, who has contributed to albums by Son Volt and Alejandro Escovedo. James Walbourne takes lead guitar duties and Nick Wilkinson is on drums to round out this particular incarnation of The Pretenders.

What’s also impressive is that in this world of overwrought and overproduced music flooding the market, this entire album was recorded over the span of only 13 days. But this album sounds anything but hurried. What it does sound like is one of rocks most formidable leading lady’s adding yet another impressive chapter to an already storied, rock and roll hall of fame career.