Wait... Radiohead?

So before we thought Radiohead would release their new album in November. Then they say that it won't be out until next year. Now we find out it's going to be released in TEN DAYS!!!!!!!


TEN


DAYS!!!!!

October Tenth!!!


It's called In Rainbows and you can pre-order this epic box set with the album, an extra cd, vinyl of the album w/ extra tracks and art & stuff as well as the download on the 10th (the package goes out December 3rd). Or you can just go for the download.


Ah Radiohead, I love when you surprise me.


Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive

Mark Lanegan: Genius in the Shadows

Many of you are probably somewhat familiar with Lanegan's first project, The Screaming Trees. As grungies on Sub Pop, Lanegan released his signature voice to the public. The Trees were a part of the "main grunge group," meaning they worked with Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Mudhoney. Chris Cornell produced the Tree’s album, “Uncle Anesthesia”, and Lanegan was a member of the one time only super group of Mad Season with Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), Mike McCready (Temple of the Dog/Pearl Jam) and others.

What you MIGHT not know is that Lanegan has been making music since that grunge era. Since 1990, he has had 6 solo albums and even more collaborations. Some of his key partners have been Queens of the Stone Age, Hater (a project involving Soundgarden's Ben Shepard & Matt Cameron) and The Twilight Singers. Another very noteworthy collaboration is that of Lanegan and Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell. With out question, "Ballad of the Broken Seas" was one of 2006's best albums.

I'm here to say that Mark Lanegan has done it again. I haven't encountered too much talk about The Soulsaver's new album: "It's not how Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land." The Soulsavers are an English remix/production duo that recruited Lanegan to sing on 8 of 10 songs for their new album. The result is an epic, dark electronica sound with Lanegan's depressingly beautiful lamenting to support it. Both elements make it one of the most depressing albums I have ever heard; yet at the same time it is simply gorgeous.

I'm going to go ahead and call "I.N.H.F.Y.F, I.T.W.Y.L." this year's best album, although... that could change if the Gutter Twin's album is released. The Gutter Twins just signed to Sub Pop and announced their album is finished. Who are the Gutter Twins and how is this relevant? Well, the previously mentioned Twilight Singers' lead singer, Greg Dulli is one of the twins. The other? This millennium’s Man in Black, Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan have been contributing to each other’s projects for several years, so they decided to record an album together as The Gutter Twins.

The moral of this story is: Mark Lanegan is one of the best, hidden gems of American musicians. I almost feel guilty, because while we talk about the sub-par albums this year, we don't talk about how Mark Lanegan keeps making incredible music that goes relatively unnoticed.

Here's to you Mark Lanegan... Here's to you carrying on the tradition of Johnny Cash and Tom Waits... Here's to the man who walked from the land of grunge into the land of dark blues and rough Americana. Here's to your amazing music...




Peace, Love and Keep Rock Alive!
-DJ KRA

A Great American Holiday

I had to go to classes on Labor Day this year for the second time in a row. I’m not one to despise college or anything like that, and I’m not saying that going to two classes on that Monday morning was the worst thing that I’ve ever had to endure. It wasn’t this year and it wasn’t last year. It did, however, get me to thinking about how the only reason any of us take the second-tier holidays seriously anymore is because we get the day off of work or school, because we walk out to the mailbox, open it up, and slap our foreheads for having forgotten that not even the postmen work on Federal holidays. Who actually spent a moment thinking about the struggles of laborers or appreciating those hard workers who make our product-laden society possible? Heck, I bet some folks think that Labor Day is some sort of sequel to Mother’s Day, a day spent in celebration of mothers giving birth or something like that.

So what’s the point of a holiday if no one really recognizes what the holiday is about? Arbor Day might have more cultural significance than Labor Day, despite the fact that Arbor Day is A: Lame and B: Not associated with days off or gifts. Labor Day isn’t of any importance because of what it’s supposed to be celebrating…it’s important because we get a day off, because for many it signifies that last day of summer before the dreaded school year begins. At least during Arbor Day, elementary school kids are dragged out of the classroom and forced to try and plant trees in the ground and are given a lecture on recycling that will eventually be forgotten when Jimmy Myers or some kid farts in class and the important ecological lesson is lost to the power of immaturity.

So what’s to stop this Sept. 25 from being a holiday? What’s the significance of Sept. 25? Well, any guy reading this will probably know, it’s a date that’s been etched into the 18-25 year old minds of America for about half a year now by relentless tie-ins and advertisements. Countless students, workers, and bums alike will be flocking to their closest retailer and circling around the electronics sections, zombie-like, reaching out and trying to grab the closest employee for a chance to seize that holy grail…a copy of Halo 3. Now, whether or not Halo is the end-all to video games (it’s not) and whether or not Halo 2 was the biggest nerd disappointment since Episode One (it wasn’t…but it was close) doesn’t matter. What matters is that the hype and buildup for Halo 3 is so immense, that millions of people will either be ridiculously preoccupied from their daily routine or just not bother to do anything at all but play Master Chief’s latest zany adventure.

More people will be religiously following Bill Gates’ favorite armor-clad hero than took Labor Day seriously, and Arbor Day doesn’t exactly spur the male youth of America into a buying spree. So why not just give us all the day off? Call it Master Chief Day, call it Halo Day, call it Microsoft’s Xbox Cash Cow Day, whatever the greeting card companies like the most. I’m not sure which is worse, the fact that the imaginary exploits of a space warrior against goofy-looking aliens means more to people than a Federally-supported holiday meant to give respect to our plentiful and deserving workers, or the fact that I’ll be one of those zombies playing Halo 3 as soon as class is over on the 25th.

Disappointment is Only Relevant to Your Perspective

Devin Townsend is a name some people recognize. Depending on who you talk to, some know him from his vocal work with Steve Vai, others know him strictly from his over the top metal band Strapping Young Lad and another group recognizes him as one of the great minds in the music world. Morgan, you may not have heard any albums that "wowed" you yet, so I don't think you've heard Ziltoid The Omniscient.

Ziltoid the Omniscient is by far one of THE BEST albums to be released this year. Why? First of all, Devin is AMAZING (he released a fantastic album, Synchestra, just last year). There is plenty of humor and satire in his music, but it contains a beautiful element of professionalism. He uses music to conjure up imagery and he uses guitar solos only when truly necessary. So, Devin himself aside, Ziltoid is brilliant because of its concept. Never in my life have I heard a concept album so... out there, so... ...AWESOME!

I'll try to explain the premise without giving too much away. There's this alien dude, Ziltoid, who is a ruthless evil being with a desire for the worlds greatest cup of coffee: Black. He thinks this great cup of coffee can be found on earth, so he sends his minions to fetch him a cup in five minutes (and yes, real time is kept with this part, making it again... brilliant). The coffee is complete crap so he decides that earth should be blown up. There is a space chase between the human Captain Spectacular, and Ziltoid. Ziltoid then goes on a quest for the meaning of life and his role in the universe. The ending is great, so I won't give it away.

That's all good and well you say. Hell you might go check it out (you should), but that's not the reason why you need to give this album a listen. This album is one of my favorites simply because of what I hear in it. Not the music, but Hevy Devy ENJOYING HIMSELF! It's easy to hear Devin having FUN with this (he did everything himself on the album). Just listening it gives me chills, because of how rare it is to actually hear the artist loving the story he is telling. Usually it sounds so sterile, but not with Townsend.

So all of you 'umans need to give this album a spin, or else mighty Ziltoid will release the planet smasher; and you don't want to deal with that crap.

I'll agree with Morgan that there have been quite a few "meh" albums (with several exceptions)... but damn... Ziltoid is by far the best of the year.

Also, there are a bunch of puppet transmitions on youtube. Here is the first one: