Shakira’s decision to cover the xx’s ‘Islands’ (originally retitled ‘Explore,’ now re-retitled ‘Islands’ again) isn’t exactly a huge shock, having been signposted in the summer with strategically leaked samples and a televised live cover at Glastonbury.
It is rather good, however.
Shakira’s cover is faster and less intimate than the original, laying a thumping club beat below the tropical guitar riff, but it does somehow manage to work.
Before detailing the show itself, there is a intricately webbed story behind the recent movement of Glassjaw (most of the following details are with great help of the www.glassjaw.net message board). Back on August 8th, 2010, Glassjaw released the “All Good Junkies Go To Heaven” single and played a coordinating show in the United Kingdom. Soon after, Glassjaw secretly played a small Long Island venue (Vibe Lounge) on September 9th, 2010 that aligned with the “Jesus Glue” vinyl release date. Like the 9/9/10 date, Sons Modern put together a show at Maxwell’s in New Jersey on October 10th, the same date that the “Natural Born Farmer” single dropped. Keeping a consistent pattern, this show was named “Sons Modern Family Gathering feat. Tidal Arms/Happy Body Slow Brain and very special guest.” Once again, this led to mass speculation, specifically that Glassjaw would be playing the bill. Now, the previous three singles were labeled with the numbers 88, 89, and 90 respectively, and a short history lesson allows you to know that Glassjaw have attached themselves to the year 1993, the year the band formed (and a number they are likely counting up to). Putting the pieces together, the writing is on the wall of what is to come. On 11/11/10 and 12/12/10 there will be two more singles and at least two more shows, filling up 91 and 92 in their catalog. However, when Glassjaw play January 1st,…
Weezer laughed off an offer of $10 million to break up, but would it really cost that much?
It helped that it was a slow week, but there was an unusual amount of press attention last Wednesday when Seattle man James Burns boldly offered rock band Weezer $10 million to stop making music.
The concept of paying musicians to retire isn’t exactly a new one, but in this case it reflected a real long-held view among part of the band’s fanbase that, well, maybe retirement wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Having spent much of the ’90s and early ’00s as a solid ‘album every two or three years’ band, Weezer have released four in the past five years and the dramatic slide in quality has been noticed by all but the most easily-amused fan.
Whether the petition was intended as a joke or a genuine expression of frustration – more than likely both – the band were quick to laugh it off, with drummer Patrick Wilson joking that “if they can make it 20, we’ll do the ‘deluxe breakup’!” Frontman Rivers Cuomo rather missed the point entirely, reassuring fans that “no petition and no amount of money will stop us from being together!” In any case, spoilsport Burns has since shut the petition down.
It’s a pity – it would have been nice if Weezer had at least have pretended to entertain the offer…
In anticipation of their second album Helioscope, tentatively scheduled for February 2011, we’re proud to present the video and full-length stream for Vessels’ new single ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute.’
Vessels fans will notice one new feature on the band’s new single, ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute’: vocalist Stuart Warwick (himself a solo musician) is omnipresent on the track, making it about as close to a standard “pop” track as the Leeds post-rockers have ever made.
Vessels’ debut album White Fields & Open Devices was lauded on Sputnik for its unexpected twists and imaginative way of combining sounds, including a refreshing willingness to use vocals as an extra instrument rather than as focal point or (such is the case with most post-rock acts) just ignoring them completely.
‘Meatman’ is a bit of a departure, then, as Warwick’s singing is very much the central structure. However it’s very much a change that pays off as it allows the group to incorporate more non-rock effects, with shimmering, distorted sounds and corrosive piano effects jarring elegantly with Warwick’s fluid, almost violin-like vocals, and the inevitably explosive release of guitars and drums is all the more electric as a result.
The single is accompanied by a Kira Zhigalina-directed video that is as colourful and distinctive as the song itself.
Vessels — ‘Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute’
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Here’s the deal: Sputnikresident Keelan’s review of Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz is really fucking good. I mean like, really, really fucking good. So much so that I had to write something back at him. But before that I really need to point out that Keelan is the most profound writer on this site, someone who actually takes the time to think through what he’s writing before spilling his digital ink, and anyone else looking to figure out how to do this whole writing reviews thing should read his stuff. Secondly, this is also a roundabout response (not quite review!) to The Age of Adz itself, which is probably one of this years most bewildering records, which, for better or worse, I’d like to share some thoughts on. So with the stream of consciousness button firmly pressed down into my head, let’s keep going!
Let me get this out of the way: The Age of Adz is the mirror image reversal of M.I.A’s /\/\/\Y/\. Calm down. Now, I like/\/\/\Y/\. I wrote an over the top review saying as much. I don’t like The Age Of Adz. Let me flesh this out – Perhaps the most striking resemblance between /\/\/\Y/\ and The Age of Adz is their sheer reliance on affect, with the barest minimum tying it all together: Melodies and sounds will sweep in out of nowhere; for Sufjan, this means fleeting strings and choral lines; for M.I.A. this means glitchy spasms of synth squelches…
Hello Sputnik community,
As a staff writer I frequently get asked about “the right way to write a review” (as if there is a right way), and for tips and pointers by users that want to step up and provide new content to the site. While the creative process is different from person to person, there is one thing that, regardless of if it’s your first review or your 100th, should be a part of the writing process: proofreading. No matter how clearly you think you have laid out your ideas, little kinks have a nasty habit of popping up and sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to catch them before you hit submit. To help out with catching grammatical errors, improving flow, and curbing wordiness you can visit the oft underused proofreading forum (here), where you can get a peer review from some of the more helpful community members and the staff. Even if you don’t want to write a review, you can still help out by offering advice and helping those who do. Please don’t let this beneficial feature go to waste.
Thank you for your time,
Adam Thomas (redskyformiles)
On last night’s (Wednesday’s) edition of his Late Night show, Jimmy Fallon finally managed to combine his dual-interest in classic hip hop and wooden acting in a surprisingly good medley of classic rap songs with help from Justin Timberlake and house band the Roots.
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of September 28 , 2010. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff or contributors.
Abigail Williams – In the Absence of Light (Candlelight/Lumberjack)
August Burns Red – Home [Live CD/DVD] (Solid State Records)
Bad Religion – The Dissent Of Man (Epitaph Records)
Kenny Chesney – Hemingway’s Whiskey (Sony Nashville)
Eric Clapton – Clapton (Reprise)
Phil Collins – Going Back (Atlantic)
Combichrist – Making Monsters (Metropolis Records) Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest(4AD Records)
Dimmu Borgir – Abrahadabra {EU} (Nuclear Blast)
Doobie Brothers – World Gone Crazy (HOR Records)
Electric Six – Zodiac (Metropolis Records) Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini(Nuclear Blast) – Adam Thomas
Gin Blossoms – No Chocolate Cake (429 Records) Glasser – Ring(True Panther Sounds)– Kiran Soderqvist
Halford – Made of Metal (Metal God Ent)
Ingram Hill – Look Your Best (Rock Ridge Music)
InMe – Phoenix: The Very Best of InMe (Indie Europe)
Ice Cube – I Am The West (Lench Mob) Jimmy Eat World – Invented(David Geffen Company)
KMFDM – Greatest Sh*t (Metropolis Records)
James LaBrie – Static Impulse (Inside Out U.S.)
Lazerbeak – Legend Recognize Legend (Doomtree)
Mark Ronson And The Business International – Record Collection (RCA)
Nellie McKay – Home Sweet Mobile Home (Verve Forecast)
MSWhite – Squares (Rise Records)
Mushroomhead – Beautiful Stories for…
To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, email your full name along with confirmation that you’ll be available to attend to sputnikreviews@gmail.com.
OK, this is pretty old (witness the 9.6 million plays), but it really needs to be seen to be believed. You’ll never listen to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ the same way again, and if you’re anything like me it’s a life-altering event on the scale of losing the use of one’s legs. But in a good way.
International woman of mystery and self-appointed spokesperson for all gay people in the world ever Lady Gaga has recorded a message (not actually an “address” – shoot me) aimed at the United States Senate, appealing for the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to be abolished.
Stefani’s speaking voice makes her seem kind of slow, and there’s the most awkward phone ringing sequence ever in the middle, but it’s still worth watching whether you agree or disagree with the central premise.
Over the last decade metal has made a huge resurgence. This popularity has inspired a lot of bands to make a deliberate return to their roots (Metallica, Megadeth, etc). It has also prompted the reformation of quite a few long-defunct bands from the past (Believer, Anacrusis, etc). You can now add Connecticut’s Indestructible Noise Command (aka I.N.C.) to that list.
I.N.C. formed in 1985 and quickly recorded their first album, Razorback. The album was quirky but heavy with an underlying sense of humor that was missing from most thrash at the time. It was enough to allow them to play with bands such as Megadeth, Exodus and King Diamond. Their second album, The Visitors, built on everything that fans loved about Razorback and garnered even more attention for the band – Pantera, in their infancy, even opened for I.N.C. at one time. One of the more unique elements that I.N.C. had going for them was the vocals of Dennis Gergely. His voice provided a bit of a hardcore/metal crossover vibe at a time when only a few bands were doing it (most notably D.R.I.). Due to a lack of solid label support and funding, the band took an indefinite hiatus shortly after the release of their second album, and that was the end of the story – until now.
I.N.C. are back with a fresh set of songs that are heavier and darker than anything they did in…
With the events of last week still fresh in my mind, I’ve been able to reflect on the contrasting Guns N’ Roses-related experiences the past couple of months have thrown my way.
Last Wednesday, I was treated to the most bizarre concert-going experience of my life, as Axl Rose showed up an hour late for the fourth show running, got pissy with the audience for booing him and subsequently left the stage when a water bottle was thrown limply in his general direction from the crowd. A third of the crowd had left by the time he returned, 45 minutes later, to sleepwalk through his contractually obligated set. I’m still not entirely sure what to think of it all.
Compared with my experience when Slash came to town in June… well, there is no comparison. The man took to the stage on time and blasted through a mix of cuts from his recent solo CD, old Guns and Velvet Revolver hits and even a couple of Snakepit songs for the diehards. Frontman Myles Kennedy (better known for his work with Creed offshoot Alter Bridge) was a bit of a let-down… at least, it seemed that way, until Slash belatedly revealed that Kennedy had been suffering from flu and had barely been able to speak all day.
It’s an interesting contrast: the self-absorbed rock star who can’t even bring himself to show up for a $10 million-dollar gig on time, and a true professional who will play…
