More CD's Ready for You Listening Pleasure

Gomez A New Tide (POP-G) Indie

Metric Fantastic (POP-M) Indie Rock



Vienna Teng Inland Territory (POP-T) Pop/Folk

Available Today: April 27

Chris Botti Live in Boston (POP-B)

As Promised: The Remaining Hot 90.3 of 2008 From KEXP Seattle

76. Ting Tings WE STARTED NOTHING
77. Black Angels DIRECTIONS TO SEE A GHOST
78. King Khan & the Shrines THE SUPREME GENIUS OF
79. School of Seven Bells ALPINISMS
80. Firewater THE GOLDEN HOUR
81. Noah & the Whale PEACEFUL, THE WORLD LAYS ME DOWN
82. Blue Scholars BUTTER & GUNS
83. Sun Kil Moon APRIL
84. Bonnie Prince Billy LIE DOWN IN THE LIGHT
85. The Roots RISING DOWN
86. Tokyo Police Club ELEPHANT SHELL
87. The Mountain Goats HERETIC PRIDE
88. The Airborne Toxic Event THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
89. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks REAL EMOTIONAL TRASH
90. Jaime Lidell JIM

Ready for Check-Out Friday, April 24, 2009

These new CD's are ready for listening:

Death Cab for Cutie THE OPEN DOOR EP (POP-D)

Keri Hilson IN A PERFECT WORLD (POP-H)

Bernie Williams MOVING FORWARD (POP-W)

Papa Roach METAMORPHOSIS (POP-P)

Tracy Chapman OUR BRIGHT FUTURE (POP-C)

Keith Urban DEFYING GRAVITY (CTY-U)

Bishop Allen GRRRRRR (POP-A)






Crystal Stilts A LIGHT OF NIGHT (POP-C0

Army Navy ARMY NAVY (POP-A)

Great Lake Swimmers LOST CHANNELS (POP-G)

Record Store Day Rocks... if you can find a record store these days!

This Saturday (April 18th) many record stores across the country will be celebrating Record Store Day. This event has gained popularity in recent years as an indie music St. Patrick’s Day, where bands make a conscious effort to put out predominantly vinyl releases. There will be limited edition singles, split 7” EP’s, and LP re-issues galore for the audiophile listener.
The LP is making a stealth comeback. Sales have significantly increased in the last couple of years. What better way to celebrate new bands releasing warm rich-sounding analog records than at your favorite record store. Too bad there won’t be a happy hour along with it. You also won’t have to hear that cheesy one hit wonder “You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive either. That would be torture. Many of these artists are no strangers to the Manhasset Public Library’s CD Collection.

I will be heading to Other Music NYC for the occasion. Below is a run down of some of the exciting releases.

Split 7” - I’m glad these are making a come back. These smaller records contain one song each from a different band. Definitely spices things up a bit. One band might cover the other, or you get B-sides from studio sessions.
o Andrew Bird/Lonely,Dear.
o These one-time tour mates get intimate and take on a song from the other’s catalog. After listening to this year’s Noble Beast, I can’t wait to hear what the Chicago native is up to.
o Flaming Lips/Black Keys.
o Both wear their cover hats on this one. Get ready for an interesting ride with Madonna and Captain Beefheart covers.

7” Singles - 33 1/3 rpm’s never sounded so desirable. Two b-sides, or a single and a b-side are what you’ll get for a few dollars.
o Modest Mouse – “Satellite Skin/Guilty Cockerspaniels”
o Isaac Brock and company put out two unreleased singles on colored vinyl to tide fans over until the release of their August EP. Based on their last release, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, expect good things.
o Dead Weather – “Hang You Up From The Heavens”
o Jack White’s new project on his Third Man label yields its first single. Hanging out in Nashville has led him to be more ambitious. The leader of the White Stripes puts his guitars down to temporarily live it out as a rock drummer.
o Akron/Family – “Everyone Is Guilty”
o Expect big things from the genre-bending trio from Pennsylvania. They are putting their latest psychedelic/jam- heavy cut on an early release.

LP - The big one that spins around a lot.
o Wilco LP Reissues
o If you don’t own Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or anything else in their catalog, considering getting it on LP. The gatefold 2-disc packaging is great collectors touch. I believe the CD is also included. Hmmmm…. Modern and retro?

o Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz
o All the blogs love these guys, and with good reason. While “Maps” continues to be their signature song (the chorus is stuck in my head as I’m typing), they continue to take chances on everything they put out. Cleverly arranged keyboards and synthesizers are plentiful on this record.

www.recordstoreday.com
Check out Record Store Day’s website for a full rundown on releases and events.

Bloc Party @ Terminal 5

It’s no secret. I am a big fan of the Bowery Present’s Terminal 5 (T5). So after getting a call Sunday night about tickets for one of England’s best indie rock bands, I was enthused. Intimacy has been playing non-stop on my iTunes. The album is a natural and innovative progression for the band, picking up where Weekend in The City left off. A new electronic bed has been made by the London natives (via drum machines, vocal processors, sampling loops, etc), and works in their favor as strong points of their “relationship record” are solidified. Those who loved Silent Alarm should not go running for the hills either. While Intimacy is not a complete facelift, it simply may not be for every alternative indie fan, and should be given more than one listen.
In comparison to my previous T5 experiences, there was a very diverse crowd in attendance. You had hipsters, thirty-something, working folk, young kids from the suburbs, and everyone else in between, all tolerating each other (I’ll get to the show antics later). Too bad my cell phone camera could only document the well-lit stage.



As Kele Okereke walked onto the stage, he did not resemble your typical indie band vocalist/guitarist. Sporting short dreads and a red Addidas tracksuit (perhaps hinting that the group's set would be a thorough workout) he playfully asked the New York fans with a wide grin whether they liked his “get up”. In return, he received an inviting uproar. It can’t hurt to start charming your fans early. Soon after, they ferociously launched into “One Month Off”, the latest single from Intimacy. Many of the fans around me noted how much better the tune about adding fuel to feisty break ups sounded live. I quickly agreed and decided not to tell them that they were preaching to the choir.
The band played a strong set filled with raw alternative rockers like “Banquet” and “Positive Tension” mixed in with ballad-ish numbers like “Signs”, “Song for Clay (Disappear)” and “Ion Square”. (Who knew the xylophone and piano could fit so well with this genre?) This time around, Bloc Party’s sound contained a significant number of electronic pulses. Rhythm section Gordon Moakes and Matthew Tong provided a solid foundation for Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack to play both straight ahead at times and make sonic explorations at others. The cross-genre “Mercury” was one of the shows highlights, as the London natives gathered all the local energy into an electro-freak-out. They had full command and Okereke wanted things to get even seedier (its what us kids are saying now a days), but only if the crowd was up for it.
While this is not a completely new sound, it does mark a shift. Such a foray into new newer territory was met with abundant fan support. They happily danced, head banged, and fist pumped without a care. Silent Alarm numbers “Like Eating Glass” and “This Modern Love” were injected towards the shows end alongside newer numbers like “Halo” and “The Prayer”. Okereke capitalized on those aggressive moments and connected with the audience on multiple levels. When the band divided into “Ares”, Okereke climbed the PA to the elation of the sold-out crowd, and traveled with mic in hand across T5 as he “declared a war”. The youngsters took advantage of this and created pseudo-mosh pits reminiscent of Lollapalooza in years past. Everyone left content in the hopes that Bloc Party would not wait another 2-plus years to return to New York City.

J.P Leonardi

Ready for a Listen April 2, 2009

Ready to take home:

Metric GROW UP AND BLOW AWAY
POP-M (Indie Rock)