Blur Goes Outlandish: 13

With all the recent excitement about Blur's reunion this coming summer, we have to admit that we've found ourselves digging into the back catalogue a bit to reminisce about where the band's been, and what we might hear in the future. Specifically, we've been harping pretty fanatically on the band's 1999 release 13.

From the singles, it would be easy to dismiss the record as a saccharine sweet entry into the world of Britpop. But therein lies the dig: The likes of "Coffee And TV", "Tender", and "No Distance Left To Run" are barely representative of the many facets the album has to offer. Instead, the record (produced by William Orbit) offers up what is largely a genre-pushing, experimental foray into fuzzed out garage rock, with the singles being the exception rather than the rule.

At the end of the day, listening to 13 is a thoroughly immersive experience: tracks blend from one to another, textures mutate and change, and there's seldom a clear lyrical protagonist or directive. Rather, the album establishes its own feel that transcends a particular slant or directive. 13 is a record about experimentation, atmosphere, and feedback.

When the singles from the record were released, a separate mix of "Bugman" was released from each bandmember. Each proved to be highly divergent. Perhaps this lends some insight as to exactly why the album is so confounding and pleasureable at the same time. It is very clearly and distinctly an amalgum of tastes, styles, and production. From the growing climax of "Trimm Trabb" to the subtle undertones of "Battle", the record presents the listener with a wholly unique and realized sound of colliding sensibilities coming together in unity.

At the end of the day, this is exactly what has us so excited about a Blur reunion: it's not hearing "Parklife", "Song 2" or "Popscene", but rather the prospect that it might reintroduce a band that, while conflicted internally, is pushing musical boundries and confronting the musical establishment with a distinctive and aggressive sound. Cheers to that.

mp3: Blur - Trimm Trabb (YouSendIt, click through)

LCD Soundsystem Drummer Pat Mahoney To Play DJ Set At Mighty

If you're anything like us here at HAD (or, let's be frank, the rest of the blogosphere), then you have a nice big soft spot for the boys in LCD Soundsystem. Their records are killer, loveable, danceable nuggets that just demand numerous repeat listens.

Well, the band isn't going to be in town any time soon that we know of, but drummer Pat Mahoney will be in attendance on January 29th at Mighty. Mahoney will be playing a DJ set, and if he's giving any creedence to his band's influence, then it will no doubt be highly danceable. Can you think of a better way to spend your Thursday night? We thought not.

mp3: LCD Soundsystem - Big Ideas (YouSendIt, click through)

Need New Music In Tough Economic Times? May We Recommend Your Local Public Library?

Image courtesy SF Wiki

Sure, we can hear the groans and eye rolling already: someone suggests going to a public library and there are outcries of "does that place even still exist?!?!?". Well yes, kids, it does. And in San Francisco is happens to be a thriving bounty of free, relevant music that awaits your eager, sweaty hands to take it home.

The bottom line is this: the economy is shit, you have to pay taxes anyway, and the library has free music for you. It's as simple as that. Head over to SFPL (we favor the main branch at Civic Center) and there are literally hundreds of CD's waiting to be browsed, checked out, and enjoyed.

Now, we know what you're thinking: the library probably is loaded up with 60's classics, jazz, and classical. Not the case: SFPL has a surprisingly relevant and current collection. On a recent trip we spied the latest releases by Islands, No Age, and The National, to name a few. What's more there's a solid back catalogue of groundbreaking artists like King Crimson, The Jesus And Mary Chain, and Harry Nilsson. So do yourself a favor, and get your butt to the library, pronto!

David Bowie Labyrinth Sing Along In NYC This Weekend

The relevance of this post probably depends on just how much you love David Bowie, and just how much you're willing to forgive him (and even embrace) his 80's sins. In our case that translates to high relevance, as we're willing to forgive the man just about anything, and when you combine it with Muppets there's just no telling what's permissible.

Allow us to explain: This Friday, the 92Y|Tribeca in New York will be hosting a singalong showing of the classic Bowie/Muppet mashup Labyrinth. For those not in the know (and are there any of you, really?), the film features Jennifer Connelly and a bewigged David Bowie (in very tight pants) in an otherwordly muppet-driven adventure. What's more, it features some of Bowie's most bizarre and humorous moments as he duets with the Muppets on a number of original tunes (see above). Yes, it's as odd as it sounds.

So, what could make such an amazing film better? That's right: beer! Admission includes one free beer, and we're guessing there's more to be had from there. So if your ideal Friday night includes getting blottoed and then singing along with likeminded fools, well, we can hardly recommend a better activity! We only wish that we could join you...

The Heavenly States To Play The Bay Bridged Third Anniversary Show

Photo from the HAD Archive

HAD faves The Heavenly States have once again added cache to their status as favorites of the Bay Area music scene, as they've been tapped to headline The Bay Bridged's third anniversary bash. The show will be at The Rickshaw Stop on February 5th, and the band will be joined by Birds & Batteries, Geographer, and DJ Elise.

For those who aren't familiar, The Bay Bridged is a Bay area indie music blog that features local music in an "episode" based format. Definitely a nice way to hear from and about upcoming local bands. The site is great source of content, and we'd be hard pressed to say that this night will be anything less than awesome!

mp3: The Heavenly States - Morning Exercise (YouSendIt, click through)
mp3: Birds & Batteries - I'll Never Sleep Again
mp3: Geographer - Can't You Wait (YouSendIt, click through)

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Live At Hollywood Bowl

Van Morrison's Astral Weeks is viewed by many critics to be his defining artistic achievement. Largely forgotten at the time due to its inaccessibility and abstract nature, it has slowly become the dark horse of Morrison's catalog: worshiped by those in the know, and completely ignored by the disciples of Morrison's greatest hits. As such, the album has languished in its live format for many years. Van presumably wanted to cater his fans, and Astral Weeks simply was not at the top of most of those fans' lists. So it came as no surprise that when Morrison announced he would be playing the album in full at the Hollywood Bowl, there was a collective sigh of musical orgasm from critics the world over.

To be frank, the original Astral Weeks has always proved a tad elusive for us here at HAD. The age of the tapes serves to make them reasonably muddy, and the ethereal, "jammy" feel of the album simply seemed to lose something in the recording. We could hear that there was something special there, but the record simply never really reached out and grabbed us. Given that, we were of two minds with regard to Morrison's announcement: On the one hand, it might serve to enlighten us and allow us to finally "get" Astral Weeks. We're always partial to live recordings, and modern recording technology couldn't hurt things either. On the other hand, it had the potential to further confound us amidst further applause of genius or even be a complete artistic disaster.

Thankfully, the upcoming Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl puts us firmly in the former category. The record is a vital, crystal clear, stunningly executed live document of Morrison's 1968 album. Everything about the record is so right that it's hard to know exactly where to begin. Most obvious is Morrison himself: he simply delivers a vocal performance that completely transcends his 63 years. His voice is in top form, with a touch more of baritone, and he makes his way through the songs with ease. Backing up Morrison is the guitarist from the original sessions, Jay Berliner. Berliner serves not only to give the recording some vintage credibility, but his distinctive playing slowly reveals itself as one of the stalwarts of the original record. These two, combined with a stellar backing band, serve to lay the foundation for an amazing night.

Still, solid musicians a great live record do not necessarily make. There are so many more aspects to performance and recording that have to fit the bill and fall in to place to allow for a live record to be truly great. Surprisingly, Morrison apparently only had one rehearsal before these shows, and allowed no overdubs in post production. While this may seem to be a bit optimistic, it serves the record extremely well. The feel of the album has a truly live character: the audience is ever present in the background, and the band has a loping unity that truly brings home the feel of collaboration. No doubt if one had been sitting in the studio during the original recording sessions, it might have felt something like this.

For an endeavor that had so much potential for pitfalls, Astral Weeks Live At Hollywood Bowl simply managed to sail right past all of them. The music is immaculate, the performances exceptional, and the reality of the performance jumps right out of the speakers. The album is unquestionably a must-have, for both fans and skeptics of the record. For those who already love it, it's a no-brainer. Morrison's performance is a landmark event, and he pulls it off flawlessly. For those who haven't "found" the record, its equally as crucial. The record brings the songs to life in a new light, and does a great deal to illustrate what it is that makes the original such a landmark.

At the end of the day, Morrison has managed to successfully pull off something of a "reunion" with his former self, reaching back into his catalogue and pulling out its crown jewel for all to see. It should be a lesson to his peers, and even those younger, who are considering reunions of their own: the bar has been set, and if you can't do it this well, you might really want to reconsider doing it at all.

Astral Weeks Live At Hollywood Bowl is released on February 10th, 2009 on Morrison's own Listen To The Lion records.

French Miami Is At The Rumble Tonight (plus LoveLikeFire, DJ AmpLive, BAGeL Ted)

You may remember that we tapped French Miami's show back in December as a solid dose of local rock awesomeness. What's more, the band played last night's Animal Collective listening party at The Knockout. Well, in case you managed to miss both shows, the band will be out again tonight for a free gig at The Owl Mag's monthly club night The Rumble at Harlot.

The show will also feature LoveLikeFire and sets by DJ's AmpLive and BAGeL Ted. Granted, given that it's a free show, it'll probably be mobbed. Still, you can't really argue with some free quality tunage, even if it does result in a bit of sweaty crowdedness. Head over to Sonic Living and RSVP now!

Sadness: Land Of Talk Cancel West Coast Dates

Picture From the HAD Archive

It appears that, tragically, Land Of Talk have cancelled their much anticipated West Coast dates. We got the info from a commenter here at HAD, and the band's myspace page seems to validate that the dates have disappeared into the ether. Apparently lead singer Liz Powell needed to have some voice rest time. We respect the need for wellness guys, but please make it out soon! We need some LoT lovin'!

New M. Ward Video Offers Up First Taste Of Hold Time

So here it is: the first taste of M.Ward's latest, Hold Time. We just got our tickets for the Palace Of The Fine Arts show, and we have to say we're more than a little excited for Matt's latest effort. The video for the title track has been released and youtubed for your viewing pleasure.

The video itself is an uber-ethereal, black and white reverberated dirge. It moves along ever so slowly, and leaves the vocals in a murky trench of thick production goodness. We can totally see the end of the track kicking off into one of the album's more upbeat numbers. For those of you lamenting the absence of upbeatedness - calm yourselves and go listen to the sample on the opening page at mwardmusic.com. You didn't really think Matt would leave you without any rock with your roll, now did you?

New U2 Album On The Way For March 2009

Welcome back, kids. We're here in San Francisco all bright eyed and bushy tailed from a few weeks off, so we hope you're ready to reimmerse yourself in some tasty HAD lovin'!

First up on the docket is the new record from U2. Sure, some of you will roll your eyes, and cite Bono's near-constant media exposure as being just about unbearable. And to some extent, we agree with you. That being said, we're not about to diss the artistic legacy that the band has, especially when they're collaborating with Eno, Lanois, and Lillywhite.

Their latest, No Line On The Horizon, teams up with that exact bunch to deliver he bands 12th studio album. Frankly, we're hoping it will be far more All That You Can't Leave Behind than it will be How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. The band has a pretty solid history of delivering a killer album, and then a less admirable stepchild. If the pattern holds true, then we're solidly on track to get a killer album delivery.

According to an Interscope announcement, the record is on queue to drop on March 3rd in the US. As you may recall, some of the tracks famously leaked when Bono was listening a tad too loud in his apartment. Unfortunately, we missed the boat on that one, so we're going to have to wait for the record to give some insight. We're certainly looking forward to it.