Is your turntable as dusty as your mind?
The
psychedelic conspirators at Melted Mailbox Records have the lysergic
solution, looking to use your tone arm's needle instead of a
syringe to trip your light fantastic. Later this month the
wax-friendly label will issue the first limited-edition 12-inch
single in its new Melted Mailbox Vinyl Club, a bi-monthly program
that for $70 could be the best pen pal an experimental- music
aficionado could ever have.
Featuring two exclusive tracks on one side and an artistic etching on the other side of the disc, the series promises lots of other goodies, from a membership card, stickers, and buttons to hand-screened prints and posters. First up on the debut issue is Sunroof! and Dino Felipe, with future slots promising Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Keith Fullerton Whitman. Check out (http://www.meltedmailbox.com) for more.
Sure, seeing David Lee Roth's grinning mug ripen into Larry King makes me ponder my own geezerhood, but daydreaming back to the days when Van Halen ruled the world, I miss those high kicks and corny looks. After being delayed a few times over this past spring, I must admit that I'm loving every plucked note in last week's release of Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen on the CMH imprint. When a song's a great song, its brilliance shines through no matter who might be doing the pickin' and grinnin'. Roth himself joined up for this moonshine parade of hits, sitting in for new vocals on "Jump" and "Jamie's Crying" with the John Jorgenson Band. From the sweet groove of Mountain Heart's harmonious take on "Dance the Night Away" to David Grisman's blistering mandolin attack of "Hot for Teacher," the hits keep coming with a square of cornbread on the side. After hearing the note-for-note re-creation of "Eruption" on banjo by Dennis Caplinger, you'd best hide grandpa's vintage instruments and the colored electrical tape from the kids. Other highlights include the sly scoop of "Ice Cream Man" from Larry Cordle & the Lonesome Standard Time and the countrified "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" from Iron Horse.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts KT Tunstall this evening, She Wants Revenge on Thursday, and Nelly Furtado on Friday; The Late Show with David Letterman boasts Neko Case tonight, Widespread Panic on Thursday, and Sonic Youth on Friday; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents the return of Echo & the Bunnymen on Thursday overnight and the Charlatans UK on Monday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Fiona Apple on Tuesday overnight; and Jimmy Kimmel Live howls with Wolfmother on Thursday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, June 20:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Agent Sparks
- Red Rover
(Immortal) featuring former members of Audiovent
Al Basile - Groovin' in the Mood (Sweetspot) new from the original Roomful of Blues member
Frank Black - Fasterman/Raiderman (Back Porch) who'd have thought that the Pixies founder would mature into such an American songwriting treasure? This terrific two-CD set of Nashville sessions is packed with guests Simon Kirke of Bad Company, Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick, Levon Helm of The Band, Al Kooper, P.F. Sloan, Steve Cropper, Spooner Oldman, and more
Paula Cole - Greatest Hits: Postcards from the Edge (Rhino) featuring her cover of Johnny Mercer's "Autumn Leaves"
Counting Crows - New Amsterdam Live Heineken Music Hall (Geffen) from 2003, featuring a new song co-written with Gemma Hayes
Cute Is What We Aim for - The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch (Fueled By Ramen) debut from Buffalo, New York
Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (Island) enhanced CD
Thee Emergency - Can You Dig It? (Blue Disguise) fronted by Ms. Dita Vox, this Seattle band channeled the spirits of Detroit garage punk in this debut
Fatboy Slim - The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder? (Astralwerks) with the bonus DVD Why Make Videos?
Nelly Furtado - Loose (Geffen) with guests Chris Martin of Coldplay and Pharrell Williams
Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun (Reprise) hot off the group's environmentally friendly "Campus Consciousness" tour
Sara Hickman - Motherlode (Sleeveless) two-CD set with guests Adrian Belew, Shawn Colvin, and Kelly Willis
Keane - Under the Iron Sea (Island) featuring the single "Is It Any Wonder"
Luna - Best of Luna (Rhino) 17 songs from 1992 to 2004
Luna - Tell Me Do You Miss Me (Rhino) globe-traveling DVD
Lynam - Slave to the Machine (DRT) catchy wall-of-sound rock trio from Birmingham, Alabama, right in the pocket of Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cult
Madison Park - In the Stars (Basic Lux) smooth house beats and electro chills co-produced with Lenny B
Mr. Lif - Mo' Mega (Definitive Jux) social commentary and old-school flow from this intriguing Boston MC, with guests Aesop Rock, Akrobatik, and Blueprint
Willie Nelson - The Complete Atlantic Sessions (Rhino) three-CD set featuring expanded material from the mid-1970s, and a live concert from Austin, Texas, in 1974
Gram Parsons - Fallen Angel: A Film by Gandulf Hennig (Rhino) DVD documentary featuring interviews with Chris Hillman, Peter Buck, Keith Richards, Dwight Yoakam, and more
Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels - The Complete Reprise Sessions (Rhino/Warner Bros) three-CD set packed with alternative versions, a radio interview, and a bonus cut of "Love Hurts" with Emmylou Harris
Pearl Jam - Live at Easy Street (J Records) seven-song CD EP of their surprise live in-store appearance at Seattle's Easy Street Records to a lucky audience of about 200, featuring covers of The Avengers' "American in Me" and the Dead Kennedys' "Bleed for Me," with special guest Joe Doe of X joining in on a spin of his own "The New World"
Percee P - Perseverance (Stones Throw) produced by Madlib, with guests Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, and Prince Po of Organized Confusion
Señor Coconut - Yellow Fever (Essay) bringing his bizarre Latin big-band sound in tribute to the music of Yellow Magic Orchestra
Sissy - All Under (Global Underground) tender pop swirling in deep electronic swells, blips, and beats
Staggering Statistics - All of This & More ... (Shake It) new from founding Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley
Obie Trice - Second Round's on Me (Shady/Interscope) with Eminem, Nate Dogg, Akon, and Trey Songz
Walter Trout & Friends - Full Circle (Ruf Records) with Coco Montoya, Jeff Healey, John Mayall, Guitar Shorty, Bernard Allison, and more
Viva La Foxx - I Knew it Wasn't Love But ... (Shake It) crushing, sweaty, and squealing basement blues from this punky Cincinnati quartet led by the swagger of Amy Jo
The Yayhoos - Put the Hammer Down (Lakeside Lounge) good ol' boy, backyard-barbecue boogie with a Southern flavor from a rockin' quartet whose pedigree includes membership in the Georgia Satellites, The Del-Lords, and the Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team; featuring killer covers of The B-52's eternally summer hit "Roam" and The O'Jays' "Love Train"
Various Artists - Austin City Limits: 2005 Music Festival (Image) two-DVD set with one disc of live performances from Jet, The Black Keys, Kaiser Chiefs, The Decemberists, Gov't Mule, Mike Doughty, and more, and the second disc featuring interviews and mini-documentaries including Kyle Ellison's examination of Austin's own cult figure, Roky Erickson
