Favourite New Music

I managed to get some new music last week, while still struggling with my overwhelming iTunes library, and my growing vinyl collection. Talking about vinyl, here's a list of original pressings I found at the local flea market and a county fair last week.

The Clash London Calling
The Smiths The Queen is Dead
U2 War
David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars

Lest I digress, some new music you should be listening to:

Sony Legacy's reissue of Leonard Cohen's 1967 debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen. Not really new is it? But, there's two previously unreleased tracks that make the ageless classic all new again. I should mention I got mine free, courtesy of the blogger status. Write a blog, get free music. It's that simple.

Blessed is the Memory (previously unreleased)
Buy the reissue

Canada's own Frog Eyes bring their shambolic grace to Tears of the Valedictorian, their latest full length. Their most accessible record to date. If you're in the City of Champions, catch that cacophony of sound at the Velvet Underground on June 1. Tickets at Blackbryd on Whyte.

...Eagle Energy
Buy Tears

Elliott Smith's posthumous rarities and unreleased music compilation, New Moon. How could so much good music manage to stay out of his two releases of that period? Smith is possibly the best musician not alive today. A must have.

Talking to Mary
Buy New Moon

And finally, Bjork's Volta. Just read a Pitchfork panning of the record. The guys at Pitchfork have lost their hearing, or perhaps they succumbed to the pressure and reviewed the useless advance bootleg floating around the www in the past weeks. Get yourselves the record, Pitchfork. Shouldn't be too hard too, you already own a blog. Bjork has organized a superlative montage of sound on this record, and each layer fascinates, astounds, and to use a well-worn word, kills.

Pneumonia
Buy Volta

That Crazy !!!

If you ever sat still through a !!! (chk chk chk) gig, leave me a comment here and I'll send you a defibrillator. Or a new heart. Saw these guys last night at the Starlite, and came out drenched in a pool of my own sweat and other people's body juices. It was definitely on, from the first note of Tyler Pope's electro gadgets, to Nic Offer's animated engagement with the music. Notice I called it engagement, not dancing, because he totally nailed the audience connection thing. This is probably no news for fans of !!!, but this is the first time I am seeing these guys, and I'll see them any other time, any other venue near or far. Guaranteed.

Sample some beats.

All My Heroes Are Weirdos
Heart of Hearts

If you haven't done so, but their latest full length, Myth Takes.
I buy my music at Insound and Blackbryd Myoozik.