Friday, September 29, 2006

Just popped in "Nuclear Daydream" by Joseph Arthur. Wow. So many great tracks on this release. Standout tracks include; Too Much To Hide, Enought To Away, Woman, Nuclear Daydream,Don't Tell Your Eyes and Automatic Situation.

Of Montreal is in now, and i'm going to stop blogging now as i've been having troubles with Blogger, locking up, freezing, skipping letters that I type and losing the post once i hit publish.

Maybe I'll be back later if they fix these issues.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I start listening after checking email and getting organized for the weekend.
I confirmed that i will be moderating a panel at CMJ this year - I was on a panel two years ago, but they make you wait 2 years before you can be on another panel.

I'll be on a panel this weekend at The Dewey Beach Music Conference - Click here for the panel.

We got accepted to be on HGTV as well so that's pretty cool, they just did the first shoot. We're gonna be on a show called Curb Appeal.

ok,,

First CD in the stack is The Kamikaze Hearts and we have a indie folk with a twang or as some say old-school rustic porch-folk. The CD is entitled Oneida Road. I like "Top Of Your Head" and "Ash Wednesday" and "Dear Hunter".

Next up is The Shimmers This band features Dave Bielanko of Marah and Jonathan Segal of Camper Van Beethoven. The CD is out next week. I like "The Letter", Beautiful vocals on "Sun Goes Down", the last track kicks in with the western sound - "Train Train" and it may just be my favorite. and then there is a hidden track as well - it's called "Coal" and they mention more trains.

The Hold Steady is in now. the first track reminds me of a young Bruce Springsteen. I like track 4 - "Same Kooks".

Next is A Bad Think on Vinylistic Records. not bad, but i don't like CD's that don't really give you information on the artist or websites that have any info, the only website listed is for Windmark.
hmmmmm

Next up is the Trentalange - featuring Barbara Trentalange from Crooked Fingers. Nice Etherial space in these songs. I like "Lonely Land", "The Motion", "Take Me Home" and "Venus".

next the Danish invasion with a band called Under Byen (pronounced - Oh' nah-boon - meaning "under the city"). Minimalistic and simple, the first track is a driving beat from beginning to end, but not a powerful thundering beat, rather a rhythm that permeates the track. Each track seems to have a bit of this. most tracks have the singers voice verging on a whisper. I Like "Pilot" and "Tindrer" and the speed picks up a bit with "Af Somme Stof Som Stof".

Mosquitos III is in the CD player now and reminds me of a combination of the last 2 CD's i listened to (above).
"One" is my favorite track next to "Mama's Belly" and "Nowhere Left To Go". this is faithful, winsome indie pop at heart. this CD is out now on Barnone Records.

Citizens Here And Abroad is in now.. Track 3 is my favorite - "Accelerator".

ok more in a bit,, i have meetings.

bz

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Next up in the CD Player is Finns Motel. I have to say, This has been a good Music-Listening-Day. Stand-tracks on this release entitled Escape Velocity (a term for the speed required to leave the gravity of a body) are Dramamine For Engine, Accelerate and Brake, Alright Tonight and The Physics of Drunk Driving.

Next is Wet Conefetti on Rice Bird Records through Pampelmoose. Worth a listen as the beats are raw, the bass and vocals are delivered by the lady in this outfit from Portland Oregon.

Califone is next in the preview list. The album is entitled "Roots And Crowns" and has a simplistic beginning that seems to build and regress on each song. This is acoustic and rootsy with layered instruments almost so sublte you miss them. my fav is track 6 - "My Kitten Sees Ghosts".


next up the rock sounds of Ouija Radio from their new release "Oh No... Yes! Yes!" on Crustacean Records. RIYL The Gossip, The Sounds and Pretty Girls Make Graves.

And now it's Portastatic. The clean, pop sounds dominate this release. 9 tracks on this Merge Records release entitled "Be Still Pleaes". The lead Track, "Sour Shores" is the stand-out track followed by "Song For A Glock, "Cheers and Applause", and "You Blanks".

Next is a release on subpop - a double CD from the band >Dead Moon entitled Echos Of The Past" and it's classic rock at it's heart and truly indepedent. 49 songs.

I just put in Tartufi. The CD entitled "Us Upon Buildings Upon Us", has interesting changes that make you want to hear more.

Home Video is the name of a band. and it's got an etherial-trance quality from the first track with layered vocals and driving beats that remind me a bit of another cool band called Lake Trout. The name of the album is "No Certain Night Or Morning". if you like one track, you'll most likely enjoy the whole CD. "Sleep Sweet", "Penguin" and "Confession Of A Time Traveler" are my favorites.

next up is a single from the band Forward, Russia! entitled "Nine", and I like it. it's unbridled and fun at the same time.

Tara Jane Oneil is in the CD Player now. just so you know, I get over 500 packages per week, so it gets a bit crazy here. She has a voice that you can't crawl away from. it's simple and beautiful. Just listen.

Pernice Brothers is up next. This is Pop Music. Track 2, Somerville, is my favorite.

Christine Fellows has a new release, Paper Anniversary, on Six Shooter Records. I love the way her voice pops out on in front of the music, it's only a bit under 2 minutes.

Getie Fox has a new release and it found it's way into my CD player. The band is from LA. Judge for yourself. take a listen. I like track 3, "Cry Complacent".

I'm now jamming to the Rock Sounds of Withdraw. This is their debut release entitled "The Perfectionsist Blacklist". This 5-piece band is from California and their songs go from chaos to beauty in a flash. My favorite is "Decompression".

next up and last for today is Shitake Mushroom. very interesting. I like track - "Maybe Lady".

ok,, my ears need a rest. now I'll go and relax for a minute and work on XMU.
Well by now you got the routine down for me, every day i come in and listen to a bunch of cd's, now i'm starting to write about it..

Much of the music featured here will be on XMU in the following week.

Just opened a package from VAEDA pretty good stuff. Straight-up Rock, Totally can hear this band on the radio, and if you have XM, you will, this band will featured on the RADAR REPORT in the coming weeks..

just opened the new Lemonheads, released on a great label called Vagrant. The cd just came out yesterday.
I like this record, might just be my favorite. These are honest songs with those great Dando-rolling-melodies. Stand out for me is track 2 - Become The Enemy and the last track - December.

Sally - this ep starts of with a driving emotional riff with squelched vocals and pulls you in, the deverts to a more punch beat, then into this noise bridge that's pretty interesting. Second tracks starts off with a Paddy-Cake type Hand-clap. I like the raw feel of this for the first 2 tracks. 3rd track is my least favorite and track 4 brings back the feeling f the first track, which is the coolest.

The Trolleyvox was just opened. best track on the record is track 2 - Just You Wait. the cd says - RIYD: The Essex Green, Rilo Kiley, Dressy Bessy.

just put in the new OOIOO - Trbial sounds on the first track and then a pause for more experimental sounds and structure. Interesting that all the songs have 3 letters in the name. the band is on a cool label called Thrill Jockey
the name of the album is TAIGA whcih means BIG RIVER in Japanese and FOREST in Russian. Track 1 and 7 are my favorites followed by track 4. The CD is out now.

and now a left turn to a band called The Old Ceremony release on a label called SonaBlast. These are great songs, My Favorites are Papers In Order, Poison Pen, and Get To Love. The Damnwells meet Elvis Costello with a hint of Randy Newman and Tom Waits.

Next I throw in a cd that just captivates me from the first note. Angela Desveaux released a new CD entitled Wandering Eyes. This is acoustic and clean with a hint of twang, not country, just twang-pop. Heartbeat is the best song i've heard today. ok so it could be my mood, but this is just good. one thing you'll come to know about me. I hold no bias or prejudice against or towards any one style or genre of music. I'm just open, wide open and ready to take it all in. it's the best way to take in music. with a clean slate like it's the first piece of music you ever heard. stand out tracks are all over this record, so go listen.

The Buffalo Killers have a self-titled release on Alive Records. My favorite track is Heavens You Are - i hear some Ween, Black Sabbath and Black Mountain on this track. Produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs.

Modeski, Martin & Wood - the new record is out on their own label, and they're still jammin.

Opened the new release from the band Honeycut. This is a Rock-Fusion-Soul outfit with beats.
The first track "The Day I Turned To Glass" is my favorite followed by track 3 - "Shadows".

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton was opened next. Piano-based-tunes with a sad flare. This voice reminds me of another amazing singer, Laura Burhenn, who is in an amazing band now called Georgie James. if you like Laura, you will like Emily.

Rolling melodies come back in full force with new Chin Up Chin Up release entitled "This Harness Can't Ride Anything". I love the first track, it's the title track. This release is from Suicide Squeeze Records.

ok.. i'll continue listening. more posts to come.
maybe even another one today.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

I saw Ladytron last night at >the nightclub 9:30 The club was a bit smokey, but not as smokey as the new club where I saw the Hourly Radio this past weekend. Ladytron was good, the club was not quite sold out, they played Seventeen and Destroy everything you touch, which is one of my favorites, but they didn't play Ladybird, one of my other favorites. the 930 Club and The Black Cat, Still the best places to see shows in DC,, BY FAR..

You'll notice that in my previous blog I went to see The Hourly Radio at a new local club - The Rock N Roll Hotel, and it's the smokiest club in DC with no ventilation. I mean literally NO FANS and smoke everywhere. Boggles the mind.
so i won't be checking anymore shows out there until the smoking ban hits DC in January.

Ladytron also came by XM RADIO yesterday as well, they did a Campus Revolt which will take place in the coming month. That's where they get to program XMU for an hour, playing whatever they want. This is gonna be way cool. For those of you that don't know what XMU is, we are located on Channel #43 on XM SATELLiTE RADiO - The Leading Satellite Company. check out THIS LINK and sign up for a free 3-day-pass - all you need is an email address.

ON MY PLATE
I'm heading out to Dewey Beach Music Conference this weekend,
Heading to see Tool this Saturday night at The MCI Center here in DC.

XMU will also be doing a Re-Broadcast of LIVE PERFORMANCES from AUSTIN CITY LIMITS 2006 - keep checking back here for all the details. The Live performances were simply amazing.

XMU will be heading to CMJ this year in a BIG WAY,, so hold tight and listen for Exclusive coverage and interviews.

any questions, just ask

Monday, September 25, 2006

Billy Zero here,
program Director for XMU here at XM SATELLiTE RADiO..

This is my first blog and I figured I would turn you on to some music that just came in. Music from a band called Crash Boom Bang. These guys are writing some great pop-rock.

Check out Tim Williams - I like the song "Novel". he's more of a singer-song-writer.

if you like Rock..
Check out Theo and The Skyscrapers - "Doppleganger Death Disco" is my favorite. but there are several tracks to preview and you have 2 discs on this release, the second is a DVD.

I Love The Hourly Radio and just caught them live, and they delivered.

also a band called Heavens is well worth a listen and a minute of your respect.

more soon.

bz.xm.xmu.airtype.dc