29
Apr
2003
· While America's war with Iraq is wrapping up quickly, Mordam Records has gathered together a peace-movement fundraiser of anti-war rumblings from today's most politically charged alternative artists. Due in mid-May, the two-CD set is simply entitled Peace Not War and features current singles and selected tracks from muckrakers such as Public Enemy, Ani DiFranco, Midnight Oil, Saul Williams, and Chumbawamba.
Rare cuts raise the peace flag high on this one, with Crass' "The Unelected President," the band's first new recording since the 1980s, Billy Bragg's "The Price of Oil," Seize the Day's "United States," and Funmental's "Rape (Tactic of War)." Produced in London, the sale of the budget-priced CD benefits nonviolent peace groups in the United States.
· Raising funds and consumer awareness is the goal of Fat Wreck Chords' upcoming Liberation CD, benefiting PETA with a $3.98-list-price compilation of 17 tracks from Anti-Flag, The Used, NOFX, Frenzal Bomb, and more. Filled with CD-ROM educational information about the vegan lifestyle, highlights include special acoustic versions of Good Charlotte's "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" and Midtown's "This House Is Not a Home."
· Also stirring up the mainstream soup is the birth of Protest Records, a new online-only record label curated by Chris Habib and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, choosing to fight the powers that be with an all-free format of songs to share, not sell. Exclusive tracks from Cat Power, Anne Waldman, and Stephen Smith are on the label's site right now, with the promise of upcoming selections from The Fugs, electric rake guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, and The Evens (featuring Amy Farina of The Warmers and Ian Mackaye of Fugazi). With a manifesto that the label "exists for musicians, poets, and artists to express love and liberty in the face of greed, sexism, racism, hate crime, and war," this new project sounds a-okay to me. ... The legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith is taking his soul-jazz flight into strange territory in May, as his upcoming Scufflin' Records release is a collection of Hammond B-3 organ driven covers of songs by Beck. Entitled Boogaloo to Beck, the 11-track CD features special guest saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, laying down a funky tablecloth over tracks like "Loser," "Where It's at," Devil's Haircut," and "Sexx Laws."
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Lisa Marie Presley on Thursday night, Ginuwine on Friday, and Robbie Williams on Monday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Good Charlotte on Monday and Ziggy Marley on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features The Used on Thursday overnight and Yoko Ono on Friday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Lil' Kim this evening overnight, Les Nubians on Thursday overnight, and Socialburn on Friday overnight; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is 50 Cent.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, May 6:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Anderlin - Blueprints for the Black Market (Tooth & Nail)
Anthrax - We've Come for You All (Sanctuary) with Dimebag Darrell of Pantera and Roger Daltrey of The Who, the disc is enhanced with bonus bootleg video
Audio Bullys - Ego War (Astralwerks)
Beloved - Failure on (Solid State)
Blur - Think Tank (Virgin) with guest producer Norman Cook
Breaking Pangaea - Phoenix (Equal Vision) five-track CD EP
Broadcast - Pendulum (Warp) six-track EP
Brady Brock - Warm American Sweater (In Music We Trust) with guest appearances from members of The Pernice Brothers, Red Red Meat, and Getaway Treehouse
Confidence - music from the motion picture (Thrive) score by Chris Beck
Cracker - Oh Cracker, Where Art Thou? (Pitch-A-Tent) new live-in-the-studio re-craftings of hits and misses
Danzig - Archive De La Morte (Music Video Distributors) DVD release featuring never-before-seen videos
Dog Fashion Disco - Committed to a Bright Future (Spitfire) featuring the hidden bonus track cover of "Grease"
Drive-By Truckers - Declaration Day (Lost Highway)
Electric Six - Fire (XL)
Eve 6 - It's All in Your Head (RCA)
Eyes Like Knives - Eyes Like Knives (Secret Fire)
Fall Out Boy - Take This to Your Grave (Fueled By Ramen)
Family Tree - Tree House Rock (All Natural)
Federation X - X-Patriot (Estrus)
Front 242 - Pulse (Metropolis)
Marvin Gaye - Live in Montreux (Eagle) two-CD set recorded in 1980
Goldfrapp - Black Cherry (Mute) look for a North American tour soon
John Haitt & The Goners - Beneath This Gruff Exterior (New West)
Richard Hawley - Lowedges (XL)
Helloween - Rabbits Don't Come Easy (Nuclear Blast U.K.)
Etta James - Let's Roll (Private Music)
Walt Kelly with Norman Monath - Songs of the Pogo (Reaction)
Laptop - Don't Try This at Home (Gammon)
Leisureworld - Double Wide Double High (Artist Direct)
The Lightning Seeds - Bitter Lullabies (Sony U.K.) with guests Mercury Rev
Marty Lloyd - Marigold (Razor & Tie) new solo album from the former Freddy Jones Band vocalist
The Matrix: Reloaded - original motion picture soundtrack (Maverick)
Ian McCulloch - Slideking (Spin Art) new solo album from the Echo & The Bunnymen founder, with guest Chris Martin of Coldplay
The Natural History - Beat Beat Heartbeat (Star Time)
New Pornographers - Electric Version (Matador) featuring Neko Case
Niacin - Blood, Sweat, & Beers (Magna Carta) live CD from Billy Sheehan and company, featuring two new studio tracks and their live spin on the soul classic "You Keep Me Hangin' on"
NOFX - The War on Errorism (Fat Wreck) political punk gobbing George W. Bush
Ozma - Spending Time on the Borderline (Kung Fu) Pleasure Forever - Alter (Sub Pop)
Prince Paul - The Politics of Business (Razor & Tie) with guests Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Chuck D, and Ice-T
Phil Roy - Issues & Options (Or Music) new from the Philadelphia singer-songwriter
The Rubinoos - Crimes Against Nature (Zip Records)
Silkworm - You Are Dignified (Touch & Go)
Slaves on Dope - Metafour (Bieler Bros) on tour with Nonpoint and Skindred
Richard Thompson - The Old Kit Bag (Spin Art) domestic issue featuring a bonus CD of live and rare tracks
Tomahawk - Mit Gas (Ipecac) featuring former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton
various artists - I've Always Been Crazy: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings (Dualtone) with Nanci Griffith, Norah Jones, Robert Earl Keen, Dave Alvin and more
Verbena - La Musica Negra (Capitol)
XX/XY - music from the motion picture (Thrive) new from U.K. electronic artists The Insects
· Raising funds and consumer awareness is the goal of Fat Wreck Chords' upcoming Liberation CD, benefiting PETA with a $3.98-list-price compilation of 17 tracks from Anti-Flag, The Used, NOFX, Frenzal Bomb, and more. Filled with CD-ROM educational information about the vegan lifestyle, highlights include special acoustic versions of Good Charlotte's "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" and Midtown's "This House Is Not a Home."
· Also stirring up the mainstream soup is the birth of Protest Records, a new online-only record label curated by Chris Habib and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, choosing to fight the powers that be with an all-free format of songs to share, not sell. Exclusive tracks from Cat Power, Anne Waldman, and Stephen Smith are on the label's site right now, with the promise of upcoming selections from The Fugs, electric rake guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, and The Evens (featuring Amy Farina of The Warmers and Ian Mackaye of Fugazi). With a manifesto that the label "exists for musicians, poets, and artists to express love and liberty in the face of greed, sexism, racism, hate crime, and war," this new project sounds a-okay to me. ... The legendary Dr. Lonnie Smith is taking his soul-jazz flight into strange territory in May, as his upcoming Scufflin' Records release is a collection of Hammond B-3 organ driven covers of songs by Beck. Entitled Boogaloo to Beck, the 11-track CD features special guest saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman, laying down a funky tablecloth over tracks like "Loser," "Where It's at," Devil's Haircut," and "Sexx Laws."
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Lisa Marie Presley on Thursday night, Ginuwine on Friday, and Robbie Williams on Monday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Good Charlotte on Monday and Ziggy Marley on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features The Used on Thursday overnight and Yoko Ono on Friday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly sits down with Lil' Kim this evening overnight, Les Nubians on Thursday overnight, and Socialburn on Friday overnight; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is 50 Cent.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, May 6:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Anderlin - Blueprints for the Black Market (Tooth & Nail)
Anthrax - We've Come for You All (Sanctuary) with Dimebag Darrell of Pantera and Roger Daltrey of The Who, the disc is enhanced with bonus bootleg video
Audio Bullys - Ego War (Astralwerks)
Beloved - Failure on (Solid State)
Blur - Think Tank (Virgin) with guest producer Norman Cook
Breaking Pangaea - Phoenix (Equal Vision) five-track CD EP
Broadcast - Pendulum (Warp) six-track EP
Brady Brock - Warm American Sweater (In Music We Trust) with guest appearances from members of The Pernice Brothers, Red Red Meat, and Getaway Treehouse
Confidence - music from the motion picture (Thrive) score by Chris Beck
Cracker - Oh Cracker, Where Art Thou? (Pitch-A-Tent) new live-in-the-studio re-craftings of hits and misses
Danzig - Archive De La Morte (Music Video Distributors) DVD release featuring never-before-seen videos
Dog Fashion Disco - Committed to a Bright Future (Spitfire) featuring the hidden bonus track cover of "Grease"
Drive-By Truckers - Declaration Day (Lost Highway)
Electric Six - Fire (XL)
Eve 6 - It's All in Your Head (RCA)
Eyes Like Knives - Eyes Like Knives (Secret Fire)
Fall Out Boy - Take This to Your Grave (Fueled By Ramen)
Family Tree - Tree House Rock (All Natural)
Federation X - X-Patriot (Estrus)
Front 242 - Pulse (Metropolis)
Marvin Gaye - Live in Montreux (Eagle) two-CD set recorded in 1980
Goldfrapp - Black Cherry (Mute) look for a North American tour soon
John Haitt & The Goners - Beneath This Gruff Exterior (New West)
Richard Hawley - Lowedges (XL)
Helloween - Rabbits Don't Come Easy (Nuclear Blast U.K.)
Etta James - Let's Roll (Private Music)
Walt Kelly with Norman Monath - Songs of the Pogo (Reaction)
Laptop - Don't Try This at Home (Gammon)
Leisureworld - Double Wide Double High (Artist Direct)
The Lightning Seeds - Bitter Lullabies (Sony U.K.) with guests Mercury Rev
Marty Lloyd - Marigold (Razor & Tie) new solo album from the former Freddy Jones Band vocalist
The Matrix: Reloaded - original motion picture soundtrack (Maverick)
Ian McCulloch - Slideking (Spin Art) new solo album from the Echo & The Bunnymen founder, with guest Chris Martin of Coldplay
The Natural History - Beat Beat Heartbeat (Star Time)
New Pornographers - Electric Version (Matador) featuring Neko Case
Niacin - Blood, Sweat, & Beers (Magna Carta) live CD from Billy Sheehan and company, featuring two new studio tracks and their live spin on the soul classic "You Keep Me Hangin' on"
NOFX - The War on Errorism (Fat Wreck) political punk gobbing George W. Bush
Ozma - Spending Time on the Borderline (Kung Fu) Pleasure Forever - Alter (Sub Pop)
Prince Paul - The Politics of Business (Razor & Tie) with guests Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Chuck D, and Ice-T
Phil Roy - Issues & Options (Or Music) new from the Philadelphia singer-songwriter
The Rubinoos - Crimes Against Nature (Zip Records)
Silkworm - You Are Dignified (Touch & Go)
Slaves on Dope - Metafour (Bieler Bros) on tour with Nonpoint and Skindred
Richard Thompson - The Old Kit Bag (Spin Art) domestic issue featuring a bonus CD of live and rare tracks
Tomahawk - Mit Gas (Ipecac) featuring former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton
various artists - I've Always Been Crazy: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings (Dualtone) with Nanci Griffith, Norah Jones, Robert Earl Keen, Dave Alvin and more
Verbena - La Musica Negra (Capitol)
XX/XY - music from the motion picture (Thrive) new from U.K. electronic artists The Insects
