Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Vacation Time

Dead Flowers is taking a much-needed summer break until after Labor Day. If you're in need of music, please feel free to stroll through the archives: most, if not all, of the mp3s should still work. Also be sure to subscribe to the feed so you'll know when I'm back in action.

Cheers,
-Mike

Subscribe in a reader

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Thoughts On
Foreign Born: "On the Wing Now"

Foreign Born are like a musical Rorschach test. U2 fans hear Bono in Matt Popieluch's soaring vocals and the Edge in Lewis Pesacov's effects-laden guitar. Joy Division devotees hear Ariel Rechtshaid's driving bass and immediately think of Peter Hook. For this reviewer, Foreign Born conjure up the nervous energy of the West-Coast groups heard on the Nuggets compilation: Maybe it's Popieluch's manic acoustic guitar throughout the album, or the propulsive drums of Garret Ray on tracks like "It Wasn't Said to Ask" and "Into Your Dream". However you peg them, it's clear that Foreign Born are mining a rich musical tradition: The chorus guitar on "In the Shape" is pure "Dirty"-era Sonic Youth; on the aforementioned "Into Your Dream", Popieluch evokes the spirit Lou Reed in his prime.
The NME once said of Swervedriver that they were a great band who forgot to write a classic song. It would of course be unfair to write Foreign Born off in the same way at such an early stage. But it probably bears mentioning that while there are no substandard songs on this record, there are no defining ones either. The last-minute exclusion of fan favorite "We Had Pleasure" in favor of the psychedelic "Don't Take Back Your Time" would only seem to strengthen this notion.

There are, however, some truly fine moments here, like the tender harmonies that make up the heart of "Letter of Inclusion", which starts with a melancholy organ note lifted straight from Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over". The second half of "In The Shape", propelled by some dazzling percussion and a spirited performance by Popieluch, is one of those transcendent moments you'll find yourself returning to again and again.

All in all, this a very fine debut record. One gets the feeling, however, that with just a bit more focus, Foreign Born could scale the heady heights the best parts of "On The Wing Now" only hint at.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Labels: , ,

Sunday, August 19, 2007

The Hunters: Russian Spy and I

Saturday, August 18, 2007

DJ Shadow: Live at Oxford Sound City (10.30.97)

As a special treat, here's what is quite possibly DJ Shadow's best ever live performance. Recorded for the BBC on October 30, 1997, the set witnesses Shadow, aka Josh Davis, at the height of his powers. After "Endtroducing", before "Psyence Fiction"--the confidence and creativity displayed in this recording is striking.

Highlights include a preacher sounding off on rock n' roll right before the incendiary "High Noon": "It hooks young people. And they become a part of this hooked generation and their lives are RUINED until they can shake themselves of this filthy beat and music and words that produces revolution, sex and drugs!" At the 31:19 mark, Shadow lays a sparkling piano part over "Midnight in a Perfect World" that casts the song in a whole new light.

Enjoy, and remember a time when Shadow was unbeatable.

Tracklist:
1) Intro
2) Lonely Soul (Instrumental Early Version)
3) Lost and Found
4) Painkiller (Kill the Pain Remix)
5) High Noon
6) Organ Donor
7) Midnight in a Perfect World

Labels: , , ,

Friday, August 17, 2007

Babyshambles: Delivery (Promo)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

New Order: Crystal

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Movie Music: "Rushmore"
The Rolling Stones: I Am Waiting

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

That Great Lust Sound

Those brilliant Danes The Raveonettes have a new album on the way:
Danish duo The Raveonettes have revealed the name of their forthcoming third album exclusively to NME.COM.

Due for release towards the end of the year on an as-yet-unspecified label, the band have settled on 12 tracks and have selected the final title of 'Lust, Lust, Lust', which has been inspired by the lyrical content of many of the songs.

"There are a lot of songs that deal with desire, restlessness and the tough choices you have to make sometimes," explained frontman Sune Rose Wagner, who, along with bandmate Sharin Foo, has just completed mixing duties in New York. "Lust and forbidden desires are definitely the main themes of the record and most of it comes from a personal perspective."

The album was self-recorded, self-produced and the final tracks were culled from a selection of over 100 that Wagner had demoed during the past two years. Of the songs NME.COM was played, standouts included the distinctly surf-influenced number 'Dead Sound' and a bubblegum-pop smash in the making called 'You Want The Candy'.

However the duo have clearly given the new material a much darker edge overall, particularly in the shape of the discordantly melodic band favourite 'Expelled From Love' and 'Aly Walk With Me' which is comprised of a hypnotic hip-hop groove and dynamic quiet/loud guitar shifts.

"We didn't want that flimsy sound we had on the 'Pretty In Black' album (which came out in 2005) anymore," continued Wagner. "It's a grittier, tougher and much more powerful record - one that I think is perfect for doing a massive amount of drugs to in some underground Berlin club!"

Although still unsequenced, confirmed track names for 'Lust, Lust, Lust' are:

'Blitzed'
'You Want The Candy'
'Hallucinations'
'Blush'
'Black Satin'
'Expelled From Love'
'Dead Sound'
'The Beat Dies'
'Honey I Never Had You'
'Ally, Walk With Me'
'Lust'
'With My Eyes Closed'

The band are also due to tour the UK in the autumn.

Labels: , ,

The Boxer Rebellion: Watermelon

Monday, August 13, 2007

Devendra Banhart: Carmensita (Web Rip)

Leaves: Shakma

Labels: , ,

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Daft Punk: Interstella 5555

Labels: , ,

Friday, August 10, 2007

Rest in Peace Tony Wilson

Tony Wilson, founder of the legendary Manchester record label Factory, died today:
Anthony H. Wilson, co-founder of Factory Records, has died of a heart attack today (August 10) at the age of 57.

Wilson is best known for signing legendary bands including Joy Division and New Order to his label, and as owner of the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester.

He played a key role in the Madchester scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, signing the Happy Mondays.

Wilson passed away on this evening in the hospital after suffering a heart attack that his doctor said was unrelated to his recent battle with cancer.

Professor Robert Hawkins, his doctor at Christie hospital, told the Guardian: "It's very sad. He died as a result of something unrelated to his cancer. His cancer was responding well to treatment but obviously did contribute to his poor health".

Recently it was recommended he take the drug Sutent after chemotherapy failed to treat the disease effectively, but the NHS refused to pay for the £3500-a-month treatment.

However, the Happy Mondays and other bands he signed had started a charity fund to help pay for Wilson's treatment.

His family are reportedly declining to comment at this time, but thanked the staff at the MRI and Christie who have provided "fantastic" care for him over the last few months.

Labels: , ,

Foreign Born: Escape (Original Version)

The Libertines: Smashing (Unreleased)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

From the Vaults:
Thoughts on Oasis' Definitely Maybe

When Oasis arrived in a flurry of arrogance, punch-ups and general rock n’ roll debauchery, their musical merits often went unnoticed. Sure, people made lazy comparisons to The Beatles, but at least with "Definitely Maybe", that was only part of the story. Oasis’ debut album, recorded for the most part live,is bursting with noise, attitude, and most importantly, tunes.

"Columbia" achieves in 6 minutes what Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have yet to do with their whole career. "Cigarettes and Alcohol" is a ballsy ode to being on the dole: "Is it worth the aggravation? To find yourself a job when there’s nothing worth working for?""Definitely Maybe" opens with the classic wish-fulfillment anthem "Rock N’ Roll Star". With its pummeling drums, scorching guitars, and Liam’s youthful, sneering voice—it’s clear that with all that arrogance came genuine ability.

The album’s highlights are numerous, but in the end one has to single out "Slide Away" as Noel’s crowning achievement. It’s a noisy ballad that at the same time is sweeter than anything Noel’s written since. As Liam wails "Now that you're mine, I'll find a way, of chasing the sun," one can’t help but appreciate the tremendous balancing act Oasis was capable of back then: a truly unusual blend of sentimentality and tough-guy bravado.

Noel Gallagher summed it up when he admitted later on: ‘People don’t make albums like this anymore, least of all me.’ As far as debut rock albums go, it received very little serious competition until The Strokes released "Is This It" some 7 years later.

Despite a plethora of other discs, "Definitely Maybe" stands as the crowning achievement of the Britpop era. Noel wanted his band to sound like John Lennon fronting The Stooges…and on "Definitely Maybe" he pulled it off with flying colors. Listening to it now, more than a decade after its release, it’s clear that not only can it stand side-by-side with all the new guitar bands, but indeed, it quite literally blows them away. Oasis may have since lost the plot, but this album made them giants on whose shoulder (sic) future bands will stand.

Labels: , , , ,

Crashland: New Perfume

Labels: , ,

Monday, August 06, 2007

Babyshambles: Delivery (Radio Rip)

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Adam Green: What a Waster (Libertines Cover)

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Movie Music: "The Rules of Attraction"
Donovan: Colours

Labels: , ,

Movie Music: "Rushmore"
John Lennon: Oh Yoko

Labels: , , ,

Friday, August 03, 2007

Radiohead : Come to Your Senses (Soundcheck Snippet)

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Doves: Snowden

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar (Alternate Version w/ Eric Clapton)

Babyshambles 2nd Album Details


NME Reports:

Comeback single 'Delivery' is currently scheduled to be released on September 17.

The tracklisting for the album is:

'Carry On Up The Morning'
'Delivery'
'You Talk'
'Unbilotitled'
'Side Of The Road'
'Crumb Begging Baghead'
'UnStookietitled'
'French Dog Blues'
'There She Goes'
'Baddies Boogie'
'Deft Left Hand'
'The Lost Art Of Murder'

And here's their official preview:

Babyshambles' eagerly awaited new album will be out later this year - and we've got an exclusive track-by-track preview for you here.

Anthony Thornton, The author of the 2006 book The Libertines: Bound Together, has listened to the as-yet-untitled record - and below is his verdict.

'Carry On Up The Morning'
Starting with a rambunctious solo as prickly and spiky as anything on 'Down In Albion', momentarily it sounds like it will be a close cousin of that record. Then the whole band sweeps in and it's clear it's completely different. It sounds big and anthemic without compromising. And then there's the first surprise: Pete Doherty swaps lines - almost to the point of duetting - with himself. It's disorientating but very cool.

Key lyric: "Given up trying to explain/Put it in a song instead."

'Delivery'
The first single from the album features a riff reminiscent of The Kinks' 'All Day And All Of The Night'. The passionate chorus, driven by Mick Whitnall's arpeggios seemingly take the song to an emotional peak before and a chorus of 'oooohs' pushes it even higher. A demo version was available on the Stookie + Jim Bumfest Demos.

Key lyric: "I'm fucked, forlorn, frozen beneath the summer/Don't sing along or you'll get what I got."

'You Talk'
Shuffles on with a kind of swagger of Blondie's 'One Way Or Another' with a staccato riff. Pete mangles the phrase "You Talk" so it becomes a vocal refrain part-accusative, part jealous.

Key lyric: "Songs are just a game/ I'm getting better at cheating at."

'Unbilotitled'
Featuring a story with a cast of characters including Doherty, Wolfman and Mick Whitnall (Blue Eyes) this delicate arrangement is one of the prettiest melodies of the album. It's probably the only recorded song featuring a plea to put trousers on.

Key lyric: "Wolfman said to Blue Eyes 'put your trousers back on.'"

'Side Of the Road'
Has been around since The Libertines' 2003 New York sessions (confusingly called 'The Babyshambles Sessions') a loose ramshackle guitar riff that sounds like the 'Steptoe & Son' TV theme, accelerates into a punk thrash featuring Doherty's machine-gun delivery.

Key lyric: "Half dead a third alive a quarter ticking/ over on the middle by the side of the road."

'Crumb Begging Baghead'
A verse that sounds like cross between The Stone Roses and a classic 1960s garage rock track with a juddering guitar riff. The outro is a Hammond Organ-driven double speed outro.

Key lyric: "I'm crumb-begging baghead baby/"I bet you say that to all the girls."

'Unstookietitled'
Inspired by a guitar riff from 'Fuck Forever' (Doherty even quotes the song) the delicate riff and restrained music bursts into one of Babyshambles' catchiest songs.

Key lyric: "You smoke your cigarettes down to the bone."

'French Dog Blues'
Named after Doherty's hand-drawn French Dog that adorns the cover of 'Down In Albion'. Delicate waves of guitar ebb and flow as before a Who-esque peak.

Key lyric: "So this washes over you/My French Dog Blues."

'There She Goes'
Originally drafted and played solo acoustic by Doherty, this one features upright double bass and brushes giving it a loose jazzy feel wonderful at odds with anything the songwriter has done previously except, perhaps, on the very earliest Libertines demos.

Key lyric: "Caught sight of her white plimsoll/You were dancing to Northern Soul."

'Baddies Boogie'
This is story of a relationship that started with fireworks and finds them 20 years later loathing each other. A great insistent riff
A poetic riff in the middle that out-miserables the likes of Plan B and will have crowds screaming a belligerent "lousy life" at the top of their lungs come autumn.

Key lyric: "Thinking she's far too good looking/To do the cooking/Oooh, that was twenty years ago."

'Deft Left Hand'
From the massive insistent guitar riff, before falling on a staccato subtle toy xylophone and repeating riff and a massive chorus of "Iiiiiii wanna stay by your side", the song showcases how producer Stephen Street's input has expanded Babyshambles' musical scope.

Key lyric: "Went from cheery vagabondage to cold-blued luxury/In four years."

'The Lost Art Of Murder'
First aired on the 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' show, this recording features '60s folk legend Bert Jansch accompanies him (he last performed it at Hackney Empire on Jansch's 'Needle Of Death'). Doherty's lilting voice weaves with the guitar on this precise delicate final song.

Key lyric: "You call yourself a killer boy but the only thing you're killing is your time."

Labels: , , ,

  • World's Greatest Music