Dr. Pepper Pays Up on Chinese Democracy Promise

Big Promise on GNR Album Quenches My Thirst (soon)

Well it's official, according to news sources, the Dr. Pepper Corporation will indeed give one free refreshing Dr. Pepper to every American (with internet access) this Sunday in response to Guns N' Roses' much anticipated album release. When Dr. Pepper first made the promise, the absurdity of the statement then was the thought of a 2008 release of Chinese Democracy. I guess we're all surprised, and will soon be rewarded for our long 14 year wait. Tony Jacobs, Dr. Pepper's vice president of marketing, reported "We never thought this day would come, but now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr. Pepper's on us."

If anyone is interested in a free beverage, head over to Dr. Pepper's website (here) anytime on Sunday to download a printable voucher, which can then be redeemed until the end of February.

Also, if you haven't already heard the surprisingly good album, Chinese Democracy, head over to their MySpace page and enjoy the whole album streaming.

From the Basement - Fleet Foxes & White Denim

Fleet Foxes, White Denim, and others to be
featured in music TV show From the Basement

Head over to From the Basement and watch some very cool video performances of your favorite indie rockers, including Fleet Foxes' "Blue Ridge Mountains" (here), as well as a very awesome rendition of White Denim's "All You Really Have To Do" => "Mess Your Hair Up" (here). I think both of these videos do a great job capturing the live experience for these two acts - both the eerie, majestic charm of Robin Pecknold's howl, and the unabashed primal energy of Austin's hottest trio. The apparent goal of From the Basement is to portray the "truest representation of the state of their artists work, captured in a way that lets their talents speak without the interference of presenters, logos, or audiences." Other bands featured in this show include Architecture in Helsinki, Band Of Horses, Gnarls Barkley, Beck, Andrew Bird, CSS ,Eels, Albert Hammond Jr., Iggy And The Stooges, My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The Shins, Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Thom Yorke, and many more. Go check it out.

Ten Tracks - the Future of Music???

Ten Tracks offers great music at an even greater price.

Record labels these days are trying just about anything in order to stay afloat in the digitally pirated waters. The old ways are out (R.I.P. Tower Records), and some new ways have proven successful (ie Radiohead, NIN, etc.); however, it seems that having an established fan base and mainstream notoriety definitely allows for these aforementioned ventures the positive outcomes. What about the up-and-coming bands that no one has ever heard of? Where do they fit into this new label system? Sure, MySpace and the blogging community (see also RCRD LBL) do their part in getting the lesser known bands their due exposure, but what else is out there?

A label I recently discovered seems to be ditching a lot of rules that once were a part of the music industry's golden standard. Rather than raise the price of an album to recoup the loss in overall sales, online label Ten Tracks has come up with an idea that practically gives music away. For all the fine print, go here, but to just give you the short of it, here goes: each month Ten Tracks releases a digital album of ten songs (makes sense) from various artists (both known and unknown). Each song can be purchased individually for £0.30 each, or the whole album can be purchased for merely £1.00 (a £2.00 saving!). Currently, there three different types of albums each month (called "channels"). Every month each channel will release a new bundle of ten tracks. A description of each channel is posted below:

The Police Box - modern folk, electronica and songwriting
Optimo - world-renowned future-music variations
Open Ear - selection of italo-disco rarities and cutting-edge production flair

I've listened to the October and November Police Box discs - really good stuff on there. So far, many of the bands showcased have come from the Scotland area. Included in that bunch are King Biscuit Time, The Aliens, and Black Affair (all ex-Beta Banders). That's probably why I've enjoyed them so much. For a listen, help yourself:

MP3: King Biscuit Time - "I Let Her In"
MP3: The Aliens - "Pernickitty Jack"

Dan Auerbach Flies Solo

Black Keys frontman announces solo album release date

Dan Auerbach, voice and guitar of the Akron duo Black Keys, announced that he will be releasing his debut solo album on February 10, 2009. The album, entitled Keep It Hid, will be released on Key's label Nonesuch, and it will feature a "mixture of things [Dan] likes to listen to: psychedelia, soul music, country harmonies." Written on the road during the Black Keys' Attack and Release tour, the album will showcase Auerbach playing a variety of instruments, including drums, guitar, percussion, and keyboards. Auerbach's friends and family have also contributed to the record, with appearances from fellow Ohioans Jessica Lea Mayfield and Bob Cesare, as well as a song originally written by Auerbach’s father. According to Auerbach, the record has a “live, organic sound - nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity.” Track listing and tour dates for both the Black Keys and Dan Auerbach are posted below. Notably, on March 10, The Showbox Market will host Auerbach!

Keep It Hid:
01 Trouble Weighs a Ton
02 I Want Some More
03 Heartbroken, In Disrepair
04 Because I Should
05 Whispered Words
06 Real Desire
07 When the Night Comes
08 Mean Monsoon
09 The Prowl
10 Keep It Hid
11 My Last Mistake
12 When I Left the Room
13 Street Walkin'
14 Goin' Home

The Black Keys tour dates:

11-17 Bristol, England - Carling Academy
11-19 Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generali
11-21 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli
11-22 The Hague, Netherlands - Royal Theatre
11-23 Ghent, Belgium - Vooruit Arts Centre
12-29 Fremantle, Australia - Fremantle Arts Center
12-30 Adelaide, Australia - HQ
12-31 Phillip Island, Australia - Pyramid Festival
01-01 Byron Bay, Australia - Great Northern Hotel
01-03 Coolangatta, Australia - Coolangatta Hotel
01-04 Bokarina, Australia - Lake Kawana Community Centre
01-05 Brisbane, Australia - The Arena
01-07 Coffs Harbour, Australia - Coffs Ex-Services Club
01-08 Newcastle West, Australia - Panthers
01-09 Sydney, Australia - Luna Park
01-10 Towradgi, Australia - Waves
01-11 St Kilda, Australia - Palais Theatre
01-29 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
01-30 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
02-04 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
02-05 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
02-06 New York, NY - Terminal 5

Dan Auerbach tour dates:
(all dates with Those Darlins and Hacienda)

02-28 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03-01 Boston, MA - Paradise Club
03-02 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
03-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03-05 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
03-06 Chicago, IL - Metro
03-07 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03-10 Seattle, WA - The Showbox (Market)
03-11 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
03-13 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
03-14 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre

Hansome Furs - Face Control Official News!

A rumor no more...

Posted over at Sub Pop today, Handsome Furs have verified that their second album is indeed titled Face Control, that it will be released February 3rd, and that the track listing is as follows:

Track list:

1. "Legal Tender" - Studio Q performance
   
2. "Evangeline" - Wolfe Island '08
3. "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues"
4. "(Passport Kontrol)"
5. "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)
6. "I'm Confused"
7. "(White City)"
8. "Nyet Spasiba" - Wolfe Island '08
9. "Officer of Hearts" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)
10. "(It's Not Me, It's You)"
11. "Thy Will Be Done" - Studio Q performance
    
12. "Radio Kaliningrad" - Neumos, Seattle (4-19-08)

Also stated on the band's page was this quote about the album making process:

Face Control is the second album by Montreal’s Handsome Furs, 2007’s Plague Park was their first. Alexei Perry and Dan Boeckner wrote the songs on Face Control together, as one. The album was recorded and mixed by Arlen Thompson at Mount Zoomer. It was mastered by Harris Newman at Hotel2Tango. It will be released on February 3rd, 2009.

Handsome Furs - Rumors of Face Control

photo credit: Liam Maloney

Just posted at Wolf Parade's fan page, we should expect the band's sophomore effort in early February. The album, currently titled Face Control, has apparently been fully recorded, mixed, and mastered. I think I had read in an interview earlier about how Sub Pop was just waiting for all the hype of Wolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer to die down before dropping another bombshell to hungry fans. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

And the Country Celebrates

Yes We Did!

Head over to Spoon's website and you'll find something quite interesting. The band has compiled 15 videos from various cities and college campuses, documenting the country's reaction to Obama's victory Tuesday night during the 2008 Presidential Election. It's pretty awesome that the young vote actually came through this time. Even more unbelievable were Indiana's results. Growing up in a state that had only voted once for a democratic presidential candidate since 1932, I never thought I would see the day when the Hoosier state went blue again. It was a very pleasant surprise. Below is Seattle's reaction in Capitol Hill:

Go Out and Vote Today, Please.

Today is voting day, have you voted, yet?

Just a friendly reminder that you should go and vote if you haven't already. Since this no longer applies, I can now post Wilco & Fleet Foxes' cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" which was performed live in Bend, Oregon on August 23, 2008. The tune was originally available to anyone who pledged to vote in the 2008 Presidential Elections. Rather than deter people from showing up to the voting polls, I've waited until today to post this song. I hope you enjoy it, ONLY AFTER you've gone and voted.

MP3: Wilco & Fleet Foxes - "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan cover)

Seattle Power Outage: Goose Responsible

Evil Goose responsible for turning off my alarm this morning.

I had the displeasure of waking up (late) to no power this morning. Apparently, so did 4,000 other Seattleites living in the Fremont-Wallingford area. Not only was I late for work, but I also had very limited hot water during my shower. Who was responsible? More like what... as it turns out, the reason for the power outage was a damn goose. It was reported that its wide wingspan caused a short circuit in a main power line in the area. Sadly, the goose did not survive the electrocution...

So in light of the situation, I thought I'd share Eagles of Death Metal's new song "High Voltage" off of their third album, Heart On. Enjoy... oh, and go vote tomorrow!

MP3: Eagles of Death Metal - "High Voltage"

Wolf Parade - New Tour Dates!

Just announced, new Wolf Parade dates

November 2008

*North America
11-01 Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall (inside Babeville)
11-02 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
11-03 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
11-05 Tulsa, OK - Marquee Room
11-06 Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Room
11-07 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
11-08 St. Louis, MO - Gargoyles @ Washington University
11-10 Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
11-11 Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
11-12 Newport, KY - Southgate House
11-13 State College, PA - State Theater
11-14 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater

*Europe
11-17 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia Club
11-19 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
11-20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega (small hall)
11-21 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg
11-22 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich
11-23 - Stuttgart, Germany - Manufaktur
11-24 - Zurich, Switzerland - Mascotte
11-25 - Paris, France - Trabendo
11-26 - Lille,France - Grand Mix
11-28 - Manchester, United Kingdom - Ruby Lounge
11-29 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street-venue change

December 2008
12-01 - London,United Kingdom - KCLSU
12-02 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
12-03 - Cologne, Germany - Luxor
12-04 - Gent, Belgium - Vooruit - Montreal Festival
12-05 - Brussels, Belgium - AB

Here's an oldie, but a goodie: Wolf Parade covering Blackout Beach's "Claxxon's Lament" for a Believer Magazine Compilation. Speaking of Blackout Beach, expect a new album to drop December 2, 2008, entitled Skin of Evil.

MP3: Wolf Parade - "Claxxon's Lament" (Blackout Beach cover)