The Missing Chums: How Come? (Promo)

This is a video I made for a track from my band's debut EP. Images are from the short film "Tramwaj" by Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Listen/Download:
"How Come"
Myspace
Facebook

Phoenix: Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Bob Dylan Cover)

Listen/Download:
"Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
Myspace
Amazon

My Band's Debut EP is Released Digitally Today

Listen/Download:
"Cover It Up"
Myspace
Facebook

Dead Flowers: Ten Tracks from 2009

Download the Mix

1. The Veils - Sit Down By The Fire

An absolute epic on a record that could've used a few more of them, to be honest. Big, rolling drums and chiming acoustic guitar sound like a statement of intent from From Finn Andrews and Co.
Myspace

2. Pete Doherty - Arcady
Ever since Up the Bracket, Pete has dealt with high expectations. His failure to meet them means that even his good records get overlooked.
Myspace

3. Mew - Beach
Mew recaptures the magic of Frengers on this and most of the other tracks on No More Stories...
Myspace

4. Animal Kingdom - Signs and Wonders

Although it falls squarely in the guilty pleasure category, this is still a top tune.
Myspace

5. Foreign Born - Early Warnings

The high point of an otherwise spotty sophomore effort.
Myspace

6. Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel

Great song. Good band. Mediocre record.
Myspace

7. The Notwist - Gloomy Planets (Live)

Probably my most listened to track in 2009, this live performance is featured on the new documentary Music No Music.
Myspace

8. The Raveonettes - Break Up Girls!
One of a handful of standout tracks from a great, great album.
Myspace

9. The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love

More tracks like this and The Big Pink could emerge as an important band.
Myspace

10. Dead Skeletons - Dead Mantra

Still gets my vote for song of the year. It will open up new musical worlds you didn't know existed.
Myspace

Honorable Mention:
The Ruling Class - Sleeping Beauty
A little too early 90s Britrock for its own good, this was still an intriguing track in a year with precious few of them.

Highlights from 2009 on Dead Flowers:
Interview with Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes)
Interview with The Ruling Class
The "Utterly Brilliant" Radiohead (Video)
The Veils - Sun Gangs Review
Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands Review
Download Special - The Veils Acoustic
Download Special - Radiohead - Kid A: Amnesiac Live in Paris
Download Special - The Sound of Young Denmark
RIP Steven Wells
The Veils/Foreign Born Live Review
Fall Review Omnibus
My band releases its first EP

And a bit of history...
Best of 2006
Best of 2007
Best of 2008

Thanks for visiting Dead Flowers in 2009. See you next year!

Check Out My Band: The Missing Chums

Listen/Download:
"Cover It Up"
Myspace
Facebook

El Pino & The Volunteers: Dust and Doubts

Listen/Download:
"Dust and Doubts"
Myspace
Amazon
Thanks Fine Fine Music

The Mary Onettes: Puzzles

Listen/Download:
"Puzzles"
Myspace
Amazon

The Dead Flowers Fall Review Omnibus

Forgive me Blogger, for I have sinned. I know I've dismissed, unfairly at times, a lot of music in the past few months--I can't help it, it's in my nature. I also know that I've failed to write about the small amount of music I actually have liked--surely no way for a hobbyist critic with delusions of grandeur to act. So here, without further ado, are some reviews...

Mew--No More Stories...
Mew have always been a prog rock group--I don't think anybody will dispute that. After their brilliant Frengers, though, they made the bewildering And the Glass Handed Kites. The problem? Too much prog, not enough rock. No More Stories seeks to redress the imbalance and is largely successful. "Beach" is beautiful and made more interesting by its jittery drum rhythms. Single "Repeaterbater" is a blast of inspired rock, and "Introducing Palace Players" sounds like Mew trying to emulate Timbaland. Oddly enough, it works.

Key Tracks: "Repeaterbeater", "Beach"
Buy it on Amazon

The Raveonettes--Live at the Empty Bottle
The precursor to what was by all accounts a lackluster Lollapalooza performance, this was the best live show I've seen by The Raveonettes. The small club environment suits them, as they ran through a selection of tracks from every album. The live debut of "Suicide" and other new track "Last Dance" sounded impeccable. A great performance.

Key Tracks: "Red Tan", Last Dance, Lust

The Raveonettes--In And Out Of Control
An NME review once described the death of Britpop as the time when things went from indie bands trying to make pop music to pop bands trying to make indie music. The Raveonettes split the difference with total command of arrangements, dynamics, and overall sound coupled with an impeccable indie pedigree. On In and Out of Control "Dirty"-era Sonic Youth references abound, along with The Smiths, The Stones, and of course The Jesus and Mary Chain. This is a very very good record that weaves all of the different threads of the Raveonettes' music into a cohesive whole.

Key Tracks: "Gone Forever", "Heart of Stone", "Break Up Girls"
Buy it on Amazon

Fool's Gold--S/T
Western rock acts often employ African influences to give their music a sunny, playful quality it might not otherwise possess. A more cynical observer might think they do it to get the critics all in a lather. The disproportionate response to Fool's Gold in comparison to their sister group Foreign Born is a bit embarassing, to be honest. While Foreign Born have been wrongfully ignored, the only so-so Fool's Gold are raking in plaudits from a variety of critics. Yes, "Surprise Hotel" is one of the tracks of the year (even if it probably would be just as good as an instrumental), and there are some other tracks here that present guitarist Lewis Pesacov's muso tendencies in the best possible light. But overall this is destined to be better-than-average background music.

Key Tracks: "Surprise Hotel", "Yam Lo Moschech"
Buy it on Amazon

Think I missed something? Let me know in comments...

Letting Up Despite Great Faults: In Steps

Of course The Radio Dept. deserves its own copycat band. I'm totally on board with that.

Listen/Download:
"In Steps"
Myspace

Dead Skeletons: Dead Mantra

Song of the year? Most definitely. And I think it just clawed its way onto my upcoming top 25 of the 00's list. If you like it, do yourself a favor and buy a proper version. Best 99 cents you'll ever spend.

Listen/Download:
"Dead Mantra"
Myspace
Alan McGee Guardian Blog on The Dead Skeletons and Anton Newcombe (BJM)