Michael Jackson Dies (photo from aasgier on flickr)

Read about it here, here, here, or here.

The neckbearded, long haired, slightly overweight Georgia rockers: Manchester Orchestra are giving away a free download of their single, “I’ve Got Friends,” from their sophmore release Mean Everything To Nothing. After you get your free download enter yourself for a chance to win tickets to see the band at Lollapalooza. See below for details…
 

Here is how it works:

1) Get your free download of “I’ve Got Friends” here: http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/us/ivegotfriendsdownload
 

2) Then Tweet the below copy, or at least just the link, to your friends for a chance at winning a trip to Lollapalooza::

 
Tweet me to your friends –> Download Manchester Orchestra’s (@LetMyPrideBe) single “I’ve Got Friends” for FREE! http://tinyurl.com/downloadivegotfriends
 
For more details visit the contest page linked below:
http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/us/Lolla09

The original Blueprint is an undisputed classic, as well as both a critical and commercial success, whereas the second, two-CD affair left many with a much less positive review. Coming off the release of 2007’s American Gangster, Jay-Z has a lot to live up with these new album.

Last week Jay leaked a sampling of how the grizzled hip hop veteran sees the current landscape with his self-explanatory non-anthem “D.O.A. (Death of AutoTune)”. Give it a listen and tell us what you think in the comments box below!

And guess what?

IT WAS!

Eddie, Jeff, Stone, Matt and Mike debuted the new song “Get Some” off their soon-to-be-released studio album Backspacer as as of this morning, critical response as been incredibly positive. Reviews have deemed this performance as showcasing the band as being in “top form” and the Rockworms concensous stands as a resounting “ooooooooh yeeeeeeeeeah!”

Check out “Get Some” and let us know what you think in the comments box!

Check it out!

The band that made me love music, New York’s Beastie Boys have unveiled that the title of their new studio album will be Hot Sauce Committee. The hiphop/rock/punk/awesome making trio will appear tonight (Memorial Day) on NBC’s soon-to-be alsoran Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to discuss the album in more in depth, profanity-laden detail. We here at Rockworms most likely will not recap this interview in any way.

For a little bit more info, last October Beastie Boy “Ad-Rock” aka Adam Horovitz sat down with online/print music rag Billboard to discuss the groups 7th “official” studio LP.

“It’s a lot of vocals, a lot of words — very wordy,” said Ad-Rock. “And it’s political, depending on what you call political. You know, if toilet talk and fart jokes are political, which they can be, in that sense yeah, very.”

You bet your sweet Jewish ass they can!

Previous studio albums have been 1986’s Licensed to Ill, 1989’s Paul’s Boutique, 1992’s Check Your Head, 1994’s Ill Communication, 1998’s Hello Nasty and 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs. All of them are amazing. They also have released many remix, greatest hits and b-sides collections. All of which are also quite enjoyable. I like them a lot.

The show is Monday, May 25th at 10:30 PM at The Detroit Bar (843 W 19th Street, Costa Mesa, California 92627). The club is 21 and up and the cost: FREE!!! Also performing: Moostache and Evening Hour

“…and sometimes, baby Adam, you CAN get everything you want in life…”

Now this is what I call a “good morning!”

Discovered this A.M. via the bands Twitter page, the illustrious Seattle rock outfit PEARL JAM will be the featured musical guest on the debut episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien on June 1st. The totally kick-ass band will be playing songs off of their new album as they welcome the incredibly talented Mr. O’Brien to this Late Night throne.

This will be good. If I owned a TV, I would totally watch it.

It hardly feels like 7 years since I was beating my hands across my desk to the beat of “Grindin’”, but like it or not, time has a way of changing some people. Luckily for us who enjoyed that infectious Virginia Beach sound, the ever-revolving calender has been kind to The Clipse who last night rocked a standing-room-only Webster Hall Studio crowd as the brothers from the V-A set the mood right for another big summer.

Choosing mostly to pull selections from their 2006 album Hell Hath No Fury (as well as their cleverly titled 2008 crew collaboration with Re-Up label mates Clipse Present: Re-Up Gang), biological brothers Malice and Pusha-T kept the capacity crowd on its feet and with hands waving. Allowing the crowd to fill in the hook left vacant by Slim Thug, The Clipse turned up the tempo on the radio anthem “Wamp Wamp (What It Do)” and the is-it-or-is-it-not pot shot at Lil Wayne with “Mr. Me-Too.”

Arguably the biggest moment of the night was when the boys announced that they were going to take it back to where it all started and the beat dropped on the aforementioned “Grindin’.” While eyes quickly scanned the room to see if hook-deliverer and close associate Pharrell Williams would make an appearance, thoughts of that cameo were quickly forgotten and the duo carried out the track like the trunk-rattler it always has been.

They closed-out the show with the new single (featuring a man who was barely even a name-worthy producer when Grindin’ came out, Kanye West) “Kinda Like a Big Deal” and if this performance showed anything, it is that The Clipse are still at the top of their game and ready to take their place atop the hip-hop game.

Sometimes, Ben Wallace sings vocals.

Poor Malice…he appears concerned. Forgetting your setlist? Been there.

Staring contest. Ready? Go!

Some bands that don’t suck include: Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, Kings of Leon, and Ben Folds.

Some bands that do suck include most of the ones in really small font (basically everything underneath Gaslight Anthem).  We just hope Snoop Dog isn’t pissed lollapallooza for using a larger font for Beastie Boys than they did for him.

Lineup from 2009.lollapalooza.com

Lets us all start by agreeing on two things: she was not THAT good, and she was not THAT ugly.

Yes, I am talking about the media darling of the moment Susan Boyle, who worked through her supposedly beastly unattractiveness to “wow the world” by singing her heart out on “Britain’s Got Talent”. After her performance, footage of her amazing Simon Cowell hit the internet and people began raving that she is an inspiration for a sad world and a wake-up call for the human spirit.

WHAT?!?

OK, all this love is based on the two above incorrect factors: she is a great singer and she is butt-ugly.

One, yes, she IS a very good singer. But she was in no means jaw-falling-on-the-ground remarkable. Good? You betcha. Great? We have all heard better performances this year on American Idol or on one of your local FM stations and the only reason people are losing their lid over her is because she is some supposed horse-person. Which brings me to part 2: She is NOT THAT UGLY! Yes, she is no magazine cover girl (well, NOW she is) and I don’t suppose we will be seeing her mug on the cover of a lingerie catalog in the near future, but I saw uglier people than her on the subway last night. We all do. Every day. What she is, is old and British. That is what they look like! Watch the BBC! That is their look! This video didn’t blow up and become a viral sensation until it hit America because Americans were amazed at her hideousness. English people weren’t going crazy over it. Do you know why? BECAUSE THEY ALL LOOK LIKE THAT! They don’t want to cause a scene over her atrocious dome-piece because she looks just like their grandmother.

What Susan Boyle did was sing very well and surprise a great number of people, but in no way was her performance a world-changing event, like so many are attempting to make it out to be. In no way has my life been changed since Susan Boyle came into my life. And do you know who I feel much worse for thanks to this? Paul Potts. What Paul did was MUCH more impressive in my eyes and he hasn’t gotten so much of a sniffle of the attention Susan is getting. A darn shame. So in summery, Susan Boyle is not that ugly and she is not that ball-bustingly phenomena of a singer. Stop all the hype.

All views and opinions expressed by Adam Cozens are of his own personal belief and do not nessacarilly reflect the opinions of Rockworms.com

This is one of those questionably relevant posts…but I couldn’t help it….this is how I wanted to act when I was kid and flo rida – i mean vanilla ice – came on. 

If you really didn’t laugh – or at least smile – at this video, you can take up your complaints with craig key.

Some of the albums include:

Sub-Pop Sampler (songs from Flight of the Conchords, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine…)

Anti Sampler 2009 (songs from Neko Case, N.A.S.A., Michael Franti…)

Victory Records Label Sampler : (songs from Hawthorne Heights, Streetlight Manifesto, & Bayside)

Check it out: Amazon Free MP3s

Black Kids - Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance

Mates of State - My Only Offer

But when I set out to write my review of the show, I thought I might take a glance at what others were saying too. I was amazed when I checked the twitter stream from last night, reading what other people–who were no doubt standing a few feet from me–were saying about the show

So in the spirit of rockworms being an “open source” music blog (in other words, we’d rather have you write our articles because you’re prolly better at it than me): here are some twitter-tastic highlights from last night:

Black Kids Tweets:     
 

Charizzl Black Kids; terrible band name, adorable band.about 8 hours ago
winstonbongo Euphoric and breathless. Black Kids owned that set. Wow. In fanboy awe. 8:16 PM Apr 12th
iheartsharks Black Kids were amazing! 8:10 PM Apr 12th  
CakeIn15 From casual listening and promo pictures, didn’t realize Black Kids lead was a guy. Huh. 7:53 PM Apr 12th
jsather At black kids and mates of state. They should fire their sound engineer. 7:41 PM Apr 12th

Mates of State Tweets:

MSPdude Mates of State put on an awesome show. Will def. catch them again. “Re-arrange Us” is going to be stuck in my head for a bit.11:23 PM Apr 12th
josway Mates of State + @VarsityTheater = Awesome 10:47 PM Apr 12th

  saramontour I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t even that excited to see Mates of State tonight, but they totally rocked it and put on an awesome show.10:21 PM Apr 12th

Staciaann 4 drummers on stage for last song. Mates of State are fucking awesome!!9:33 PM Apr 12th

I will just throw in my two cents as well - while I thoroughly enjoyed both performances, there was a clear difference in stage presence and energy from the veteran Mates of State, to the new (black) kids on the block.  The sound at the varsity is usually pretty good, but @jsather wasn’t too far off when he said Black Kids should fire their sound engineer.  Their pop-dance-synth-n-bass sound was all muddied by Reggies guitar.  Still, they are touring their butts off, and I’m sure they will hone their craft and I hope the continue to make great music!

*Updated: Check out Videos of Black Kids “Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend to Dance” and Mates of State “My Only Offer.” (I couldn’t fit’em on this post)

Thanks to mitch, staciaan, justin and Gan who posted some great pics (all of which were better than my blurry ones)!

This. Band. Is. Heavy.

That is an extreme understatement. This band and album make death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse sound like Buddy Holly. “Call of the Wretched Sea” is an album taken straight from Herman Melville’s horrifying tale of doom, despair, an unforgiving sea, and insanity (as well as sound bytes from the original movie). The album called… so naturally i heeded.

And boy does it deliver on it’s promise of being the darkest album of doom metal ever created. The riffs come crashing into you like slow, deep waves of bone-crushing power. The vocals seem to emanate from the very bowels of the earth, causing the foundations of all life to uproot itself and die. Not to mention the ominous Gregorian chants that appear throughout the album. The songs really create a sense of dread of being alone in the middle of the violent, dark, and unforgiving ocean…waiting to kill or be killed by the Great Whale your insane captain so incessantly searches for. There isn’t a single drop of happiness or anything remotely uplifting about this album. It may start lightly, but the waves of guitars only get bigger, heavier, and darker, and the thunderous drums keep sending you deeper and deeper into the abyss, crushing your entire being until even your soul is forever trapped in a cold, dark, and wet hell.

And i love every second of it!

This album really takes a dedicated listening time and definitely can not be used as your quick music fix of the day. Every track (minus one bridging/interlude track) spans at least 10 minutes, the longest clocking at 12:36. If your a fan of bands like Isis, Pelican, or just about any prog metal/rock band, this probably isn’t an issue for you. And this certainly is not your standard blast beat, hardcore, melt your face off metal band. It kills you slowly with pretty much every track playing at around 50-60bpm. But there are very unique melodies and harmonies found in this style, and a discerning ear can tell there is complexity despite the crushing slowness of the album. It takes a whole lot of talent to make each track as long and epic as they are while maintaining complexity and not becoming stale or repetitive. I can’t name a single band or album that plays and arranges their songs in such a way to create this dreading sensation of impending doom and the sheer “largeness” to their songs. It really makes you feel small amidst it’s endless ocean of sound. This is not an album for the faint of heart. If any band could give you nightmares, it most certainly would be Ahab. If you bother to listen to this and worry for my well-being, I don’t blame you. It’s heavy material.

I’m happy to inform you that the well-being of my soul is still perfectly intact despite taking a liking to this masterpiece of Nautik Funeral Doom Metal. I’m still the happy, joking, fun-loving Sean you all know and love! Yet I eagerly await the next installment, as this one (story-wise) ends with much more to be desired.

If you think you have the cahones the size of a whale’s (as well as the time) to tackle this album (conveniently all on myspace music), by all means do and tell me what you think! Nightmare stories are welcome as well.

Legendary music producer, follicle inspiration to many, and possible British guy (based on looks and looks alone) Phil Spector was found guilty today on the charge of murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson. She played “Carey” for two episodes on Nightcourt in the mid-80’s. Oh, that Bull…

Spector, known for his work with The Beatles and for introducing the trunk-rattling “Wall of Sound” technique in music producing, was facing his second trial on the charge after a 2007 jury came back hung. Hehe.

Sentencing is expected to be in the range of 15 years-to-life. Copious anal sex is expected.

Brandi Carlile is a folk artist who is somewhat of a female crooner, and this came shining through last night.  On a tour that had been chosen to be acoustic (which in a folk rock group means drummer-less , the voice of her and her two part harmony twins was great.  Phil Hanseroth was especially good laying down an acoustic body bass, which i am always proud of in an acoustic show. Pounding through 15 songs and a 2 song encore, she didn’t cease to entertain and converse with the crowd, telling them how fun of a crowd it was.  Considering this was the largest point of their tour so far, that is most likely quite true.  All the favorite hits were there that needed to be to fulfil a happy audience.

In an acoustic show some experimenting is always good to keep the audience happy.  From singing three part harmony on one mic to a ukulele only song, to going completely unplugged, she kept us part of the show even in a big venue.  Let me go back there.  When i say she went unplugged, i mean she quieted the crowd down, and she and the Twins proceded to play at the front of the stage, mic-less.  Only in a crowd so respective of a musician could this work.  And work it did.  “Have You Ever”, “What Can I Say”, and the crowd pleasing “The Story” were all there and all resulted in crowd singalongs.

Now, as Brandi told us in her interview with us earlier last week, they are a live band first and foremost.  Regardless of the fact that she announced a new and upcoming CD, the band stayed true to its live roots by throwing down 5, count’em 5 covers, througout the night. Her covers from her live Boston show were still there, giving us a great rendition of “Creep” by Radiohead, and even drumless, a great cover of “Folsom Prison”, compensating the lack of a drum section by bringing out the opening band to help by laying down banjo and fiddle.  Starting her encore with her traditional “Hallelujah”, what impressed me most was her Beatles bookends.  One of the first songs to start the night was “I’ve Just Seen A Face”, to which my new friend, the lady next to us aptly stated “I wonder if anyone knows this is a Beatles song?”.  Of course they do, I’m sure they saw Across the Universe.  What surprised me most was their final song of the encore.  With Brandi, Tim and Phil each taking a verse, the band closed out the show on an emotionally high note with their version of “Let It Be”.  It was serene, beautiful, and a great way to end the night.

I wish I had more negative to say about the show.  I’ve heard it makes your review more legitimate.  So, in a slight attempt to do so, I can say this.  The opening artist, Gregory Allen Isakov, is fine I am sure in smaller shows, but his solo guitar, and occasional backup violinist, seemed awkwardly small in the big arena.  Also, I would state that though a distortion effect on a mic is obviously a personal choice, I would say this.  We already have a Bob Dylan, and one is enough thanks.  To Alltel Center, spend some change, get a spotlight.  Intelligent Lights only go so far, and when you dim the stage to a blue effect and the artist is dark, that’s called bad form.  To Brandi and the band, sadly for you that is where my bad ends.  Every time I have seen you in concert, I have been impressed.  It is the most engaged I have ever been for a band without a drummer.  Thank you for that.  Keep up the good work.

Brandi’s work is available now on iTunes, and available through Amazon.com.  If you are new to her, I would suggest her Boston EP.  Its a good 4 song smattering of what you should know about her if you want to dip your foot in the water.

No, not Gideon! (But we do miss that guy)

According to KanyeWest.Com, a new feeling besweept young Yeezy (he is so CHI that you thought he was bashful!) last night as he relaxed in his palatial estate doing what all young millionaires do; watching South Park. The weekly animated serial poked fun at his James Cameron-esque “I’M THE KING OF THE WOOOOOORRRRLLLLDD!” attitude that he has been sporting these last few years. And apperently, it may have brought him back down to earth. Only time will tell, but todays blog entry was one major stepping stone to re-establishing the once beloved “College Dropout” in the minds of listeners.

SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT’S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF “I TOLD YOU SO!!!” IT’S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU’RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE’S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I’M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I’M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I’M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I’M SURE THERE’S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS… THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW IT’S ME!

Credit: KanyeWest.com & Gawker.com for the tip!

So MTV (the station for YOU!) asked their viewers (YOU!) to name the Greatest Albums of ALL-TIME!

All-time.

Not “of the year.”

Not “of the MTV era.”

ALL-flippin’-time.

The cringe-inducing list is below and shockingly enough, I have comments. I hope that you do as well. Please post them. I’m dying inside.

1. Michael Jackson - ‘Thriller’     - No question, a legendary, incredible album. Not in no possible way the greatest of all-time. A top 20. Not #1.
2. Craig David - ‘Born To Do It’ - Who? What? Craig David? Am I that old that I have never heard a song of his? Is he English? Black? I have no idea! #2 of all-time? Heck to the NO!
3. Guns N’ Roses - ‘Appetite For Destruction’  - Like “Thriller”, a great album, but in the HISTORY OF MUSIC, it would be no where close to the top 20, let alone #3.
4. Radiohead - ‘OK Computer’ - Great album. Not THIS great.
5. Nirvana - ‘Nevermind’ - A favorite of mine, but not even I would put it as the 5th greatest album of all-time.
6. Oasis - ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ - I absolutely adore this album. One of my favorite albums to ever grace my ears. But not anywhere close to accurate historically.
7. Oasis - ‘Definitely Maybe’ - No.
8. U2 - ‘The Joshua Tree’ - Similar to a lot of the above albums, an incredible album, just too high. This is the first that MIGHT be accurate placing. MIGHT.
9. Arctic Monkeys - ‘Whatever People say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ - Oh shut up.
10. Amy Winehouse - ‘Back to Black’ - No, no, no. No effing way.
11. The Strokes - ‘Is This It?’ - HA! Due to the process of averaging, this means someone probably rated it #1. Of all-time. Wow.
12. Kanye West - ‘The College Drop Out’ - Even as a “College Dropout” nut, my jaw dropped when I saw this ranking.
13. The Stone Roses - ‘The Stone Roses’ - Who?
14. Eminem - ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ - GREAT album. But no.
15. The Smiths - ‘The Queen Is Dead’ - No, but getting closer. Finally.
16. Rage Against The Machine - ‘Rage Against The Machine’ - Nopers. Not even in the vicinity of accurate.
17. Prince and The Revolution - ‘Purple Rain’ - Can’t justify this. How can they?
18. REM - ‘Automatic For The People’ - Possibly my favorite all-time album. I would put it in the top 30 of all-time. But even #18 seems too high.
19. Usher - ‘8701′ - Oh f*ck off.
20. Pixies - ‘Doolittle’ - Haven’t listened to it. Can’t judge it. But I know that it is too high.

Now is your turn to listen.

Enjoy.

Album (Amazon): Mean Everything To Nothing

Webs: http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com

Myspaces: http://www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra

Full tour dates are blow the video:

Manchester Orchestra - “I’ve Got Friends”

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA TOUR:

4/21      Nashville, TN               Exit/In

4/22      Athens, GA                   40 Watt

4/23      Carrboro, NC                Cat’s Cradle

4/24      Richmond, VA              The National

4/25      Baltimore, MD              Ottobar

4/26      Philadelphia, PA           The Trocadero   

4/29      New York, NY              Bowery Ballroom

4/30      Cambridge, MA            Middle East

5/01      Rochester, NY              Water St.

5/02      Pittsburgh, PA               Mr. Small’s

5/03      Cleveland, OH              Grog Shop

5/05      Pontiac, MI                    Eagle Theater

5/06      Columbus, OH               Skully’s

5/07      Covington, KY               Mad Hatter

5/08      Chicago, IL                     Subterranean

5/09      Minneapolis, MN           Station 4

5/11      Kansas City, MO            Record Bar

5/12      Denver, CO                    Marquis Theater

5/13      Salt Lake City, UT         Avalon

5/15      Seattle, WA                    El Corazon

5/16      Vancouver, BC              Biltmore

5/17      Portland, OR                  Hawthorne Theater

5/19      San Francisco, CA         Bottom of the Hill

5/21      Los Angeles, CA            Troubadour

5/22      San Diego, CA                Voodoo Stage HOB

5/23      Tucson, AZ                     Congress

5/24      Tempe, AZ                      Clubhouse

5/26      Austin, TX                       Emo’s Inside

5/27      Dallas, TX                       The Loft

5/28      Houston, TX                    Walter’s

5/29      Baton Rouge, LA            Spanish Moon

5/30      Oxford, MS                      Proud Larry’s

5/31      Birmingham, AL               Bottletree

6/02      St. Peterburg, FL             State Theater

6/03      Orlando, FL                     The Social

6/04      Orlando, FL                     The Social

As a long time Eminem apologist, I have usually been able to find the forward thinking in his musical choices or the reasoning behind his vile and sometimes destructive lyrics. But this time? It seems just to be crass for the sake of being crass. And I don’t like it.

I have to partially credit Slim, because he again is trying to do something different and non-conformist and many times it comes out opening ears and progressing the hip-hop genre. But this time? This time the record just kinda stinks. And it hurts me to say that.

Check out the new single “We Made You” for his forthcoming album “Relapse” and tell us what you think. Leave inflammatory comments below.