A Mixtape Of Life, Love and Loss

I have finally managed to get some free time this past week and decided to dive deep into a new book. My selection was Rob Sheffield's "Love Is A Mixtape", a very poignant story of the three L's we constantly cycle through: life, love and loss. The vast variety of musical influences and tastes he uses to demonstrate the spinning spiral of his life, the Mt. Everest-esque climb for his love, and the rollercoaster plunge of his loss. But he shows more than just love in his book....he gives a nice glimpse at the perpetual friendship and incredible kindness friends and other people can actually provide you in times of need and extreme sadness. In simplest terms, it's the story of a man and a girl's dog journey through the barren land of mourning to reveal the true trial of humanity in a cruel, unforgiving world. Truly depicting how fragile life can be just like the inside tape on cassettes. A perilous journey to walk in the fields of love, joyous as it may be, but the bond as eternal soul mates makes death a struggle to endure: "I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language." She may have been his whole language but we're glad it's a language the whole musical, mix tape making world can understand.

Didz Left TCTC Way Before Final Farewells

The Cooper Temple Clause has called it quits today. Most of the individual members seem to have a heavy heart over it. Guess no new album here in the US from them. You can read more on NME's main site.

Keeping Up With The Local Show Schedule

For those of you looking to attend some shows or events coming up in the near future, here's a rundown for the Baltimore, DC, Maryland area....

May 8th-Under The influence Of Giants & Young Love@The Ottobar ($12, sweet deal!)
May 9th-Air@9:30 Club ($40, a nice chunk of change there)
May 12th-The Kooks@9:30 Club (sold out)
May 13th-LCD Soundsystem@9:30 Club ($15, now sold out)
May 13th-Sloan@Black Cat ($14, perfect for you indie fans who missed the LCD tix)
May 14th-!!!@9:30 Club ($18)
May 16th-Arctic Monkeys@9:30 Club (sold out, duh!)
May 19th-"AN UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTY"
THE 1ST ANNUAL MORRISSEY/SMITHS CONVENTION!
Live music from Girlfriend In A Coma, Smiths/Morrissey karaoke
Morrissey look-a-like contest, vendors, & more! @The Ottobar
May 20th-Pretty Girls Make Graves@Black Cat ($13)
May 28th-The Faint@9:30 Club ($18)
June 12th-Mika@9:30 Club ($20)
June 17th-Cyndi Lauper, Erasure, Debbie Harry, Dresden Dolls,
The Gossip & Rufus Wainwright@Merriweather ($41-$76)
June 21st-Wilco@Merriweather ($25 lawn, $40 pavilion)
July 14th-The Decemberists@Merriweather (don't know yet)

The Cribs-Never Stop Rockin!

The new Cribs song is out and about, rocking and rolling its way through the soundwaves. Here's the edited clip posted on youtube but to see it in its full nude/bloddy glory go visit the media player on NME's website.

Flaming Lips Move The UFO To The Whole World

The Flaming Lips are releasing their legendary live concert at the Oklahoma Zoo on July 10th to the rest of the world. Just perfect to sit on the shelf with the biography and music video dvds. Watch a trailer for the new dvd here:

Shittin On New Rave

Shitdisco in Pop-Up Book Format!

Following the "new rave" trend, Shitdisco goes all out with bright colored shirts, crazy hooks, and a nice new pop up book puppetry music video. Their new album shall be released next tuesday although Itunes seems to sell it already in their exclusive section.

Neon Bible On The Go

Obviously the concert is worth going to after watching this video. It's a bit long but skip through the backstage parts and just watch the elevator scene and "Wake Up" in the crowd.

Alanis Doing "My Humps", Isn't It Ironic? Don't You Think?

Amazingly funny, that's all I can say. Watch for yourself.

Cold War Kids-Show Review March 28th

Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club, Delta Spirit
9:30 Clud in DC on March 28th

This show review is more than a week overdue but time in life is always so stressed. The first opener, Delta Spirit, provided the soul for the night but lacked the energy. It wasn't a band I could see myself enjoying with his voice ranging from soulful to angry Conor Oberst in five notes or less. Tokyo Police Club started off shakily thanks to the wonderful sound guy at 9:30 club having their keyboard too loud and the mike too soft. But their energy pushed them forward through their set; I think their songs just sound and work better on their EP "A Lesson In Crime". Now here's where IRONY walks through the door and knocks me to the floor before pissing all over me. I liked their EP enough to buy it at the show, shoving it in my coat pocket till after thier set. I took my coat off cos it was getting really hot inside the club and tied it around my waist. The cd was still in my pocket, and then Cold War Kids are ready to come out. Checked my pocket again and the cd is gone! Not on the floor or anywhere in sight....I was straight up pick-pocketed! Guess I got what I paid for..."a lesson in crime".
Needless to say that put my mood in a bit of a damper for Cold War Kids but not for long. Their set was amazing. Opened the night strongly with single "We Used To Vacation", they ran right through hit song after song. The highlights of the night included a mass production of "St. John" that involved both of the opening bands to come onstage as well with a multitude of percussion instruments and mass singing. And they closed their encore with a sweet cover of John Lennon's "Well Well Well". Overrall a good show....would've been great if the openers were a little stronger on the stage.

Jarvis Is Back-On America Soil!

It's been almost 7 full years since Pulp, and with no American release for his other band Relaxed Muscle, Jarvis is back on this side of the ocean. And damn is it good for him to be back. With a strong debut solo album and a limited number of shows over here as well, hopefully he can come back full blast.
After a short instrumental start, the album takes off with leading single "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time". The lyrics slide off his tongue with the cunning taste of sweetness and bitterness all at the same time as with his Pulp days. "Black Magic", taking a riff from "Crimson and Clover", draws you in softly until the chorus tears through your ears when Jarvis screams out "Black Magic that blows your mind away". It's a song that grabs you and tells you "we can't escape; we're born to die but I'm gonna give it a real good try". "Heavy Weather" starts off with the usual Pulpish voice but then blossoms into his own song, and the background rain provides a nice sense of clamness during the verses, getting you pumped up for each chorus. Then Jarvis strikes off a double bout of softer numbers with "I Will Kill Again", a bitter note to an old friend, and "Baby's Coming Back To Me", a wishful tune of reuniting with a loved one, before laying into fat children with...uh..."Fat Children".
"Oh the parents are the problem; giving birth to maggots without the sense to become flies. So pander to your pampered little princess-of such enormous size."
"From Auschwitz to Ipswich" falls under the same lines of the political message he displayed in his earlier song "Cunts Are Still Running The World" but with more of a care-free attitude. In "Tonite", Jarvis refers back to his past loves and adventures "Somebody falls in love. Somebody falls from a window-sill" while trying to teach us his wisdom. "Big Julie" is the ballad of the album, an honest tribute to a mediocre person who can rise above everyone else if they only tried. "Quantum Theory" is the only dull moment in the album, too soft and just not enough to keep my interest going except for the fact that "Running The World" is attached to it as a hidden track. The political bitterness and honest truth of that song gets me everytime.

Now enjoy his video for "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" now being shown in driving schools everywhere.