tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58269302011-06-07T23:23:17.746-07:00If Six Was NineBehold our bland, stop-gap solution template!Paulnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1871100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1132822174316403372005-11-24T00:31:00.000-08:002005-11-24T00:49:34.390-08:00Try!... a little harderAs the ifsixer who blogs the least, I know it's hard to get me to move from my regularly vegetative state to write a review of any sort. But, as the resident pop wuss rock enthusiast, I had to review John Mayer Trio's new live release, Try!For those individuals who have flirted with the idea of buying this disc, my advice is simple: Don't. I love soaring SRV and Hendrix Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1127151421603632552005-09-19T10:27:00.000-07:002005-09-19T10:37:01.603-07:00Everythiiiiiiiiing...Check out Pitchfork's list of the Top 100 Albums of the Decade's First Half.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1124225253851601482005-08-16T13:35:00.000-07:002005-09-19T10:26:56.370-07:00"Hello, Fiona? Sony-Epic Records here.""What is it, I've had a long night. You don't wanna know.""Right. Well whatever you did, I hope you ate something.""Hey! Save your accusations for Aimee Mann, have you had a look at her recently?""No, but let me get to the point. You know that Extraordinary Machine album you recorded in 2003 but we refused to release, because it wasn't, you know, Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1120293108408226352005-07-02T01:27:00.000-07:002005-07-02T01:32:08.683-07:00Just listen and let me know what you think. It's as simple as that. I love it. You'll need Realplayer.http://jsimon.atlantic.net/forsquirrels.html Go to discography, Baypath Road, and start there.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1118367551667418312005-06-09T18:38:00.000-07:002005-07-11T11:35:09.953-07:00Foo Fighters - In Your HonorCD One: ***1/2CD Two: ****Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl have always been two sides of the same coin, that coin being adolescent angst rock. While Kurt moaned and screamed a private torment and rebellion, seemingly lifted from bathroom walls and disorganized spiral notebooks, Dave's music with his post-Nirvana outfit the Foo Fighters is grounded in a reckless, hopeful Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1116364650334598962005-05-17T14:05:00.000-07:002005-05-17T16:06:35.586-07:00Sold out shows make me cry.Team Rebecca/Andy/Paul/Peter/Lawrence (or RAPPLa, as I like to call us) secured a total of ten tickets for the sold-out Bloc Party show on May 31 at Slim's. These aren't being price gouged just yet. After fees and whatnot, they were $15 each, so I imagine they'll end up being re-sold for between $25 and $30 each.Ben Folds, on the other hand, is a bitch. Unbeknownst to Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1114714831930684752005-04-28T11:52:00.000-07:002005-04-28T12:00:31.930-07:00Why you gotta act like you know when you don't know?It's okay if you don't know everything.From Pitchfork's predictably negative review of Ben Folds' Songs for Silverman:Hey, first single "Landed", a catchy sigh of post-breakup relief, takes off with a bitchin' piano riff that's just like "Philosophy" in a minor key!BZZZT!While we can quibble over whether or not it sounds like "Philosophy" (it Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1114064483648058782005-04-20T23:19:00.000-07:002005-04-20T23:23:08.730-07:00This is really fuckin' brilliant.In other news, I really need to post here more often. After so much time just listening to music, I have a bad case of music-writing blue balls.Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1112608109833211322005-04-04T02:45:00.000-07:002005-04-04T02:48:29.833-07:00Fiona Apple's label-embargoed 2003 album Extraordinary Machine has been leaked. Download it here if your moral fiber is as non-existent as mine is. Perhaps if enough people get their hands on it Sony will be backed into a corner and have no choice but to release it.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1107655274510451552005-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:002005-02-05T19:25:27.830-08:00Worth all 99 iTunes cents...
...is Ben Folds' "Landed".
Think "Fire and Rain" meets Elton John circa 70-71, but with a vitamin supplement of some sort.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1106085380975880822005-01-18T13:49:00.000-08:002005-01-18T13:56:20.976-08:00If you're a somewhat-passive Weezer fan like me, you've probably been wondering, "Hey, what's Mikey been doing? Did he get a flat with Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett and the mid-late90's incarnation of John Frusciante or something?"
Here's your answer: He's painting up a storm!
If any of you guys went to Mikey-era Weezer concerts, did his bass sound a teeny bit sharp to you? (an ironic questionBrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1104616821272395792005-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:002005-01-05T16:51:56.200-08:00The Best Songs of 2004
Once again, the double-asterisk (**) means that the song's eligibility is in question. My take? The one at #11 was realeased as a single 37 years ago and should be out. The one at #18 was released as a single 37 years ago, yet has been altered meaningfully in the "fully realized" current version, so I'd keep it in. The eligibility of the one at #25 depends on how seriouslyBrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1104586366760348412005-01-02T18:20:00.000-08:002005-01-03T23:48:10.646-08:00The Best Albums Of 2004
Thanks to Paul for the table he constructed for last year's poll. And without further adooooo, here are the final poll results for the second-best album of 1967 best album of 2004:
AlbumArtistPointsMentions1. SMiLE**Brian Wilson35(4)
2. Scissor SistersScissor Sisters32(4)3. A Ghost Is BornWilco22(4)4. Good News For People Who Love Bad NewsModest Mouse20(3)5. Pressure Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1104311395827692352004-12-29T01:08:00.000-08:002004-12-30T03:30:59.800-08:0071 44 Hours Remain!
Don't forget to fill out your entry in If Six Was Nine's year-end poll! Send yours to gforce1718@aol.com, they're trickling in, hehe.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1103197018001806992004-12-16T03:36:00.000-08:002004-12-16T03:37:28.623-08:00Fuck YEAH.
Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1103142806820953272004-12-15T13:28:00.000-08:002004-12-15T12:33:26.820-08:00As if the movie weren't mind-blowingly awesome enough...
Now you can also buy the soundtrack for Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic." Along with the usual Mark Mothersbaugh genius, and some tracks from David Bowie and Devo and the Zombies and Joan Baez, the real cake-taker is Sau Jorge's renditions of David Bowie classics in Portuguese. When I saw the film and heard the acousitc-only Jorge versionRebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1102963662476154072004-12-13T10:17:00.000-08:002004-12-15T11:36:19.246-08:00Somebody Told Me That You're At A Place Called Vertigo With No Phone And Our Time Is Running Out To Take Me Out To The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Until I Found A Reason For The Devil Tryin' To Break Me Down . . . But We'll All Float On (Alright!)
2004 In Review: The Poll
One year ago today was the day Paul posted the rules for last year's "Pazz & Jop"-style poll for the best songs and albums Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1102789758031243342004-12-11T10:15:00.000-08:002004-12-11T10:29:18.033-08:00Live 105 Not So Silent Night: The Review
In the spirit of promotional radio shows, I will give a quick review of each band, focusing somewhat on myself instead of each individual band, and without fleshing out or adding nuance to any particular review. And I shall end with my "hit single", a letter grade per band. So let's begin:
Taking Back Sunday: Im a sucker for anyone who swings the mic Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1102677116759093892004-12-10T02:07:00.000-08:002004-12-10T03:14:24.453-08:00The RS 10
Rolling Stone just did another top 500 list, this time of the greatest songs of all time. But let's trim the fat. By stripping away everything 1989 and earlier, we find that RollingStone's top 10 songs since the advent of the 90's are:
1. Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (10)
2. U2 - "One" (36)
3. Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2U" (162)
4. Eminem - "Lose Yourself" (166)
5. Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1102581992751150012004-12-09T01:18:00.000-08:002004-12-16T03:43:19.053-08:00Just when you thought the Grammy nominations couldn't suck any more, the Academy manages to find a way.
I hate music.
Oh well. Nice to see Green Day get some recognition. Guess I'll be rooting for them.
Early predictions:
Album of the Year: Genius Loves Company, Ray Charles – This is a no-brainer. Beloved veteran musician makes well-liked album of collaborations with A-list stars, then dies? Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1100892314357984572004-11-19T10:29:00.000-08:002004-11-19T11:28:17.400-08:00I really don't know how to express this post... an exercise in thought? Plus a review of R.E.M. in concert!
I've given thought lately about the number of people who say that X band has passed their prime already. Noticably, these people usually refer to bands that have been around for quite some time. Also more noticably, these people always clamor for a return to the good ol' days, and I find Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1098424474579797422004-10-21T22:28:00.000-07:002004-10-21T22:56:21.586-07:00Crossing Bob Dylan off my "Before I Die" List
Just got back from seeing Bob Dylan and his band perform at UCS... er, a large basketball arena on a UC campus. (:
The rasp was out in full force. Dylan's voice is now analogous to Hedwig's "angry inch", in that "it's what I have to work with". Once that was adjusted for, I have nothing bad to say about the concert (other than the obvious, that Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1097185646313750992004-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:002004-10-07T14:47:26.313-07:00More Songs About Cars and Dessert
Band: Cake
Album: Pressure Chief
Huzzah, the kings of late-90's irony, the pride of Sacramento (move over Papa Roach), Cake has returned to the scene with a new album, chock-full of... with lots of... with flashes of... eh, it has its moments.
It's not that perma-goateed singer John McCrea has been tamed in any real way, it's that now there's so much more Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1096940332638513552004-10-04T18:38:00.000-07:002004-10-04T18:41:55.473-07:00Congrats and Content(!!)
First off, I would like to welcome any new readers who may have been linked by the Berkeley Newscenter article's honorable mention of us. In full disclosure, though, only 4 of us are Berkeley students or alums, but the other two are Berkeley in spirit. We've been in a bit of a content lull, and Ive wanted to start reworking my unpublished archives, and our mention was Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1096836447553805602004-10-03T13:38:00.000-07:002004-10-03T13:47:27.553-07:00Rhapsody rocks my sad little world.
That's right, I signed up for the fancy discoutned Rhapsody for Cal students. For now, subscription is free (until All Hallow's Eve, after which it's $2 a month), and downloads are just 79 cents per song. I also think there's a price break for entire albums. Plus, for my fellow Cal studs, any bill you accrue is charged straight to your CARS account. So if Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1096001602916632452004-09-23T21:52:00.000-07:002004-09-23T21:53:22.916-07:00Today Google comemmorated the recently-departed Ray Charles' birthday with their logo:
Cool.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1095810965874167822004-09-21T16:45:00.000-07:002004-09-21T16:56:05.873-07:00If everyone gets tired of The Killers,
(and they will)
...they should check out Head Automatica for their dance-friendly hard rock needs. It's the singer from Glassjaw (one of those "Tool fans like them" bands) joining forces with the erstwhile Dan "Tha Automator" Nakamura, among others, to create something surprisingly accessible.
Here's a video for "Brooklyn is Burning", a song that seems Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1095619601017679102004-09-19T11:45:00.000-07:002004-09-19T11:46:41.016-07:00So, how come when I try to access If Six I get asked for a username and password?
Blogger.com clearly hates me.
Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1095349719818351662004-09-16T08:47:00.000-07:002004-09-16T08:48:39.816-07:00R.I.P. Johnny
Johnny Ramone dies at 55Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1095096050236294582004-09-13T08:56:00.000-07:002004-10-05T14:03:36.093-07:00Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters
It was a beautiful day at Polo Fields, which, funnily enough, is a polo field. Despite having lived in the Bay Area for 14 years, I didn't know that people 1) actually played polo in California, or that 2) people watched people play polo in California. Learn something new everyday!
DJ Z-Trip treated us to a cool 2.5 hour opening set. Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1094921730408860072004-09-11T09:54:00.000-07:002004-09-13T10:38:10.416-07:00Bridge School Benefit
Paul McCartney, Tony Bennet, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Sonic Youth, Los Lonely Boys, Tegan & Sara
Who's going? :)
Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1094626480270579502004-09-07T23:03:00.000-07:002004-09-09T13:24:13.033-07:00r3wind: concerts in review
And while I have never been friends with mary jane, my musical tastes would dictate otherwise
Part One: Matt Nathanson / Howie Day / Guster / O.A.R.
In case anyone missed it, the very empty Greek Theater concert 9/28 featuring the aforementioned bands was WONDERFUL.
Matt Nathanson, in true Matt form, managed to be endearing and vulgar, as per always. His appeal to Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1093909678657483762004-08-30T16:47:00.000-07:002004-08-30T20:35:33.613-07:00So, who's up for a hella-belated concert review, then?
I saw Aimee Mann at The Fillmore on the 21st. Naturally, she (and her ridiculously good band) r0x0red.
It was my second time seeing her live (the first time was in November '02 at The Warfield), and I was surprised that the audience at this show was so much younger. We're talking a mean age difference of at least fifteen years here. Aimee Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1093664742073694732004-08-27T20:43:00.000-07:002004-08-27T20:45:42.073-07:00Suddenly much less embarassed.
Dude. Kara's Flowers (who I discovered via an awesome mix my sister's ex made for me) is almost the same band as Maroon 5! I knew I was justified in grooving my ass off whenever that "This Love" song comes on. Damn!
Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1092084923038149082004-08-09T13:40:00.000-07:002004-08-09T13:55:23.036-07:00What, no Charles Manson songs?
First it was ABBA, then it was well-known defensive driver Billy Joel. Now the Beach Boys are getting a musical:"Good Vibrations," a new musical using more than 30 Beach Boys songs, will open on Broadway in January. The show will begin preview performances in early December at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. An opening date has not been announced.
"Good Vibrations" Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1090002695830171742004-07-16T11:13:00.000-07:002004-07-16T11:31:35.830-07:00They Might Be Giants Straighten Their Spine
Well folks, the quirky duo of Johns has finally released their latest album "The Spine", which features 2 tracks off of the previous EP "Indestructible Object" album, Au Contraire and Memo to Human Resources. These two tracks happen to also be my favorite tracks from the EP, and their inclusion into the tracklist of "The Spine" works in quite well Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1089702597443065612004-07-13T00:02:00.000-07:002004-07-13T00:11:15.200-07:00I was all set to write a gushing endorsement of Rhapsody, but the revered Epinions.com reviewer Brian Block beat me to it.
If you don't yet have Rhapsody, check out Brian's extremely well-written review, and then go get it.Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1089599874424879102004-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:002004-07-11T19:37:54.423-07:00In my CD player right now...
I just got home from a 90-minute walk/light hike/exploration of my extended backyard in north Berkeley (residential area and public parks around the Rose Garden neighborhood), and the tranquility of that lovely adventure (plus the perfection of today's weather) prompted me to fill my CD player with some equally lovely music:
Rocky Mountain High - John Denver (1972)
Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1088992928841910792004-07-04T17:51:00.000-07:002004-07-07T12:47:41.596-07:00Why Ben Folds Rocks Your Face Off
And why Thrice may overthrow the world...
A. Ben Folds
So I spent last Tuesday taking the Metro from work over to the Wolf Trap National Park Theater to watch Rufus Wainwright, Guster and Ben Folds on tour together. I haven't been on speed before, but I suspect that the heart-pounding-in-your-throat-walking-on-the-moon-and-look-ma-no-hands feeling that I had forCamillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1088852033281930562004-07-03T03:49:00.000-07:002004-07-03T03:53:53.280-07:00If you'd like to hear a gratuitously Coldplay-influenced composition of mine,
then I strongly suggest "No New Business", recorded with $50 software, downloadable from my download.com site.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1087516439990948992004-06-17T16:39:00.000-07:002004-06-17T16:53:59.990-07:00Better music through criticism??
In what is certainly an interesting experiment, a recent graduate at the University of Chicago has created PitchFormula, an analysis of record reviews to search for critically favorable and unfavorable qualities. He uses the entire 5500-strong Pitchfork Media review archive, and computer code to analyze every word (his methods alone are interesting, but youve Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1087142382863872042004-06-13T08:59:00.000-07:002004-06-13T09:01:36.663-07:00To the dearly departed
While the nation is predominantly caught up with the death of a high profile former President, I'd like to take a moment for a musical maniac...
Ray Charles
1931-2004Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1086468413939085462004-06-05T13:46:00.000-07:002004-06-05T13:46:53.940-07:00Is everyone alright?
If y'all need some counseling, let me know.
Hehehehe.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1086137130590846802004-06-01T17:12:00.000-07:002004-06-01T17:45:30.590-07:00Ich heisse Superfantastich
For those craving a little bright light of new (or at least semi-new) music but devoid of consumer inspiration, I point you to the Scottish quartet Franz Ferdinand. Some pose them as the UK's answer to the White Stripes/Strokes/Jet/Insert Apathetic Hipster Rock Band Here, and to say that FF is terribly original would be downright ignorant. Certain tracks smack of Blur,Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1085033586576358922004-05-19T23:00:00.000-07:002004-05-19T23:13:06.576-07:00Moving Units, Away from Shady-less D12
Spring Splash! And can you believe the appearance of "D12"?! There was quite a buzz about the group's showing at our Spring Splash; of course, it was all about whether or not Slim Jim himself would be strap snapping in his way to our lovely town of Riverside. I highly doubted this, and, unfortunately, my instinct (as well as those of most of the people) Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1084956337109571362004-05-19T01:42:00.000-07:002004-05-19T01:49:39.633-07:00And the award for 'Best Use of "Hump" In a Pop Song' goes to...
...Coldplay (aka "The Nappies") in an upset over Tenacious D!
This is just friggin brilliant. Via SF Gate's Daily Dish:Proud father Chris Martin and his Coldplay bandmates have recorded a song and accompanying video to celebrate the arrival of his baby daughter Apple -- under the name the Nappies.
The humorous promo -- in tributeBrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1084848739717797692004-05-17T19:42:00.000-07:002004-05-17T19:52:19.716-07:00More on the Dashboard covers...
So it's not on their official site, but as a voracious email-list subscriber, Dashboard will be rereleasing A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar tomorrow at its original price, only this time they'll throw in their REM covers, Michael Stipe covering "Hands Down" (I think, I may have the song wrong) and interviews between DC and Stipe.
Now all of us who already Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-108452030536607742004-05-14T00:32:00.000-07:002004-05-14T00:41:41.010-07:00A little old, but still funny: Justin L. Abrotsky of Rec Room Magazine names the top ten album covers of All Time.
I particularly like his commentary on #7, Rubber Soul:Dude, look at those guys. They're all like cool and shit. They got the modified mop top haircuts going so they still got their classic look without seeming stupid. They're all drugged up (especially Ringo, he looks lost). They'reEamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1084073820489831512004-05-08T20:37:00.000-07:002004-05-08T20:40:15.796-07:00Harder now that it's over
Ryan Adams has temporarily closed down his website... in respect for the end of "Friends".
You can see for yourself here.
Interesting tidbit from the article:The prolific star has seen his two Love Is Hell EPs combined into one complete album this week. It features his version of the Oasis classic Wonderwall.
The band's Noel Gallagher has claimed that it is the bestBrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1083720065957243192004-05-04T18:21:00.000-07:002004-05-04T18:24:17.420-07:00Same guitar, but with more 0's and 1's
After all these years it appears that the good people at Gibson (and I don't mean Mel) are still innovating:As Gibson Guitar Corp. launches a new digital model, company CEO Henry Juszkiewicz can close his eyes and almost hear the music.
"The defining moment will be when a certain lick in a popular song is out there, and it can't be done with anything else Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1083398655165046942004-05-01T01:03:00.000-07:002004-05-15T19:25:10.133-07:00Hi, everybody. My name's Eamon. But feel free to derisively refer to me as "the new Darren" behind my back.
Now, to get right down to business: here is a free download of Ben Folds's April 5th concert in Urbana, IL. It's a terrific show, sprinkled with rarities ("Silver Street," "The Ultimate Sacrifice," the album-worthy "One Down"), inspired covers ("Careless Whisper," "Champagne Supernova," Eamonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18105387986672873036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1083214665920244932004-04-28T21:57:00.000-07:002004-04-28T22:00:51.043-07:00Hey, can we cover up Tony's face with a mystery black portrait until the new (if any) member is unveiled? We could stick his face at the bottom of the right hand side column beneath the counter w/ some kind of sassy yet classic quote: "We will never forget you, unless we go senile."Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1083038381565752412004-04-26T20:59:00.000-07:002004-04-26T21:02:44.610-07:00Ben Folds Cometh
The first round of Ben Folds tour dates has been released. No sign of life on the west coast yet (click here and go to "Tour"), but you can't blame the man for hitting his own backyard before he treks to the frontier.
When he does mozey into the Bay Area, sign me up and see you there.
Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1082952946057617062004-04-25T21:15:00.000-07:002004-04-25T21:19:24.140-07:00Weird.....
Just one little misspelling while typing the link to our site http://ifsix.blogpot.com/ and you wind up at... Aaron's Bible. Whatev.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1082948269278292042004-04-25T19:57:00.000-07:002004-04-25T20:00:51.326-07:00Like I said.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1082531046002117932004-04-21T00:04:00.000-07:002004-04-21T13:46:08.733-07:00Bad Songs (Say So Much)
Blender Magazine just released its list of the 50 worst ever hit songs. The top ten?1. Jefferson Starship, "We Built This City"
2. Billy Ray Cyrus, "Achy Breaky Heart"
3. Wang Chung, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
4. Limb Bizkit, "Rollin'"
5. Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby"
6. Huey Lewis, "The Heart of Rock-and-Roll"
7. Bobby McFerrin, "Don't Worry, Be Happy"
8. Eddie Murphy, Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1082059241694644992004-04-15T13:00:00.000-07:002004-04-15T13:03:34.090-07:00The Onion A.V. Club interviews David Byrne.Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1081814979559654272004-04-12T17:09:00.000-07:002004-04-12T17:12:29.060-07:00More unusual than Weird Al himself
Weird Al Yankvic's parents were found dead in their San Diego homes, apparently the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. My condolences to the family and friends of these two poeple who certainly must have been great parents.
Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1081205549923377592004-04-05T15:52:00.000-07:002004-04-05T15:55:27.763-07:00Unconventional wisdom on file sharing
From the NY Times, two economists from Harvard and UNC are discounting the view of the record industry that file sharing hurts record sales:"Downloads have an effect on sales which is statistically indistinguishable from zero, despite rather precise estimates," write its authors, Felix Oberholzer-Gee of the Harvard Business School and Koleman S. Strumpf of Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1080297770895257322004-03-26T02:42:00.000-08:002004-03-26T02:45:22.500-08:00Mixing bored?
Since online personal music databases are all the rage, I should probably take the opportunity to plug a quite righteous site called The Art of the Mix. In a somewhat similar mold to skivsamling, you can submit the tracklistings of your mix-tapes or mix-cd's into an equally searchable database. Check it out!Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1080193095771459022004-03-24T21:38:00.000-08:002004-03-24T21:40:46.076-08:00Catch the Madness!
Madness. Late 70's-early 80's. Ska revival, leading into New Wave. Good stuff. Check it out.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1080080530206518152004-03-23T14:22:00.000-08:002004-03-23T14:24:39.436-08:00Good to have a big head?
Sometimes, sometimes not. Big Head Todd and the Monsters tread the fine line between the two on their latest album Crimes of Passion. Listen to the first track, and you are in for some good old bluesy jazzy rock, and you might even do a double take and wonder - is ZZ Top back? You might be right. I love this single - it isn't anything new, but it's a good time. And Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1079988555418726752004-03-22T12:49:00.000-08:002004-03-22T12:51:43.390-08:00This (apparently Swedish) site will let you put your album collection into a searchable database.
My list (in progress) can be seen here.
(Thanks to Kim for the link.) Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1079980584111518462004-03-22T10:36:00.000-08:002004-03-23T14:11:15.280-08:00Political Tibit
This is a music website; and Tony is much better at covering the political and social scene than I am. But I'll take a quick stab at it.
A friend of mine is over in Spain, and I finally had the opportunity of talking to her about the train bombings that occured there several weeks ago. I told her that I was amazed at the overwhelming response of the people there. SurprisinglyGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1079713998851219752004-03-19T08:33:00.000-08:002004-03-19T08:35:43.700-08:00London 0 Hull 4
The Housemartins are Hull's self-proclaimed 4th best band. A little known gem here in the US, the 80's pop band charted in the Top 10 several times in the UK with songs such as "Happy Hour" and "Caravan of Love".
I happened across their debut album "London 0 Hull 4" purely by chance at a not so local record store. I must say, if The Housemartins are the 4th best band in HullGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1078796753556652642004-03-08T17:45:00.000-08:002004-03-08T17:48:09.170-08:00A few obscure to semi-obscure to fairly-well-known-in-the-hip-crowd bands worth checking out
The Shins. Sloan meets the Lilys with a dash of Beachwood Sparks.
Sloan. Canadian alt rock with a mild twang.
The Lilys. Blatant Kinks devotees with a 90s twist.
Beachwood Sparks. American alt rock with a major twang and a teaspoon of the Beach Boys, and a female co-vocalist.
The Jellyfish. Queen meets Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077688564160114392004-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:002004-02-24T21:58:22.746-08:00MTV2 reads IfSix, gathers the perfect storm
Dashboard Confessional performing REM's Automatic for the People in its entirety. That idea is so brilliant that I can't believe it actually happened.
For the seven or eight people who actually have MTV2, the concert, originally performed last November, will debut on March 8 at 5pm Pacific. Here are some pictures.
Now if we could get Carabba to do Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077679964917849262004-02-24T19:28:00.000-08:002004-02-24T19:34:46.360-08:00Mixin' It Up
You probably havent heard it, but youve read about it - it seems like every music magazine on the planet is talking about DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album. If not, a quick primer: a British dance producer has taken the music from The Beatle's white album, and vocal tracks from Jay-Z's The Black Album, and mixed them together. Since its illegal sampling from not one, but two, Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077396780383068782004-02-21T12:53:00.000-08:002004-02-21T12:54:58.153-08:00Coppermine - Seven One Eight
I first downloaded On and On, Runway, and Bresdon online from loudenergy.com several years ago. The distorted but soothing distorted quality of Buck's voice was simply beautiful, and when layered atop hard driven guitars, accented by horns, bass, and the occasional use of electronica, came together to complete quite an impressive package. The song structures were Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077234490654262792004-02-19T15:48:00.000-08:002004-02-19T15:50:06.606-08:00An interesting story that suggests a stronger correlation between image and sales than I would have suspected.
Ageing post-punk band The Alarm have scored a top 30 UK chart hit - with a stunt disguising themselves as an unknown younger group.
Recording under the pseudonym The Poppyfields, they are at number 28 after selling more than 4,000 copies of their 1970s-style punk single 45RPM.
In itsPaulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077142645556321002004-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:002004-02-18T14:19:20.936-08:00Let's get down to Incubusiness
I'm a pretty big Incubus fan, I must admit. I think of all the major turntable-ish, rap-metal-ish hard rock bands out there, they're the band with the greatest potential for transcendence. 2001's Morning View, poopoo'd by some as a sellout, was in my view a big step forward for them, as that power-packed, yet touching and intricate album showed that they had Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077093624173050172004-02-18T00:40:00.000-08:002004-02-18T00:44:44.716-08:00Linkin Park, P.O.D., Hoobastank, Story of the Year ALL IN ONE! I DO NOT LIE!
Yes, two weeks ago I attended this concert in Long Beach with several of my friends. Don't get me wrong, the music was loud and more loud, but for some reason, not knowing the words to every song played with exception to portions of the chorus on a total of 3 songs makes enjoying the concert somewhat difficult. I Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1077068472606246422004-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:002004-02-17T22:06:11.326-08:00Oh well, whatever, nevermind
You'll all be disappointed to know that former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has decided against running for lieutenant governor of Washington.
His reason? He would have been running against an incumbent from his own party."I found out firsthand that it's really considered bad form to run against an incumbent of your own party," Novoselic said Thursday.That, and Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1076472539593897432004-02-10T20:08:00.000-08:002004-02-10T20:10:47.200-08:00Hey Ya!
The 30th (or 31st) Annual Pazz & Jop poll is out.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1076397955092498962004-02-09T23:25:00.000-08:002004-02-09T23:27:41.593-08:00Those crazy Apple users.
The top-of-the-line iPod music player from Apple Computer can hold four solid weeks of music. But what if you just want a little peace and quiet? As it turns out, Apple sells that too - sounds of silence for 99 cents.
Steve Halberstadt of Raleigh, N.C., made such a purchase last week after discovering that Apple's iTunes store, the Web's leading downloadable music Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1076127319869464492004-02-06T20:15:00.000-08:002004-02-07T17:47:04.013-08:0040 years later,
CNN wants to know if the Beatles are still relevant. (this poll will probably be gone in a matter of hours, so hurry!)
UPDATE: Final results were something like 65% Yes, 35% No.
Are the Beatles still relevant today? Of course they are! We all remember that time in 1966, during the English Premier League Championship Match, when George Harrison performed with Nancy Sinatra Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1075618039488247522004-01-31T22:47:00.000-08:002004-01-31T22:48:56.606-08:00David Bowie concert: So effing awesome!
I saw David Bowie in concert at the HP Pavilion (aka "The Shark Tank") in San Jose on Tuesday. David was nothing short of brilliant. And gorgeous, romantic, and versatile. I attended with my own David - David Duman - and we got to hear nearly all "our" Bowie songs performed by the man himself. I'm glad I took advantage of this opportunity to tack yet Rebecca C. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266179966692604794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1075156943915482652004-01-26T14:42:00.000-08:002004-01-26T14:43:55.780-08:00Good Boys
The video for Blondie's new single can be seen here. I'm not sure if I'm keen on the song yet, but it's interesting to see where a new wave band like that ends up a few decades later.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1075061101219289202004-01-25T12:05:00.000-08:002004-01-25T12:50:42.233-08:00Coppermine - Seven One Eight
The Coppermine promo CD for Seven One Eight came in yesterday, and I've spun it about 5 or six times since. I'm not sure how to begin formulating my thoughts yet, so expect a review within the week.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1074711421808372052004-01-21T10:57:00.000-08:002004-01-21T11:00:12.780-08:00Another "What do the candidates like" story
This time, the Associated Press asked around.The rock fans are Wesley Clark, who likes Journey's "Greatest Hits"; Sen. John Edwards, "The Essential Bruce Springsteen"; and Sen. John Kerry, the Beatles' "Abbey Road."
Howard Dean singled out the music of Grammy-winning hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean. Rep. Dennis Kucinich chose country's Willie Nelson (who Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1074675118093981002004-01-21T00:51:00.000-08:002004-01-21T00:56:13.716-08:00Can you spare some change?
For a while now, Target has been promoting a "new artists/new releases" shelf where the CD prices range from 7.99-11.99. I've found quite a few noticeable artists whose CDs made the shelf, among them, The Darkness (8.99) and BRMC (7.99). Other noticables (though ones I do not specfically care for) include All-American Rejects, Thrice, Vendetta Red, Palo Alto, At The Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1074387095650633152004-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:002004-01-17T16:52:58.576-08:00I love Rock 'n' Roll
If you are looking for an extra unit to pick up this semester, consider Rock & Roll: 195?-1975, Thursdays 4-6 in 201 Giannini. Courtesy of our friendly neighborhood De-Cal.
Also, we have been asked to plug the third semesterly ASUC Bookswap, Jan 20-21, 11AM-3PM on Sproul Plaza. It might be a nice place to find cheap ethnomusicology books :)Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1074113513402720382004-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:002004-01-14T12:55:34.090-08:00Cranking it to a perpetual 11
I took a quarter-long electronic music class a couple of years ago, from which I learned a lot. However, though I recognized their usefulness, I wasn't into using tools for compression and peak-limiting, as I thought they would excessively blunt the dynamics of my compositions.
It seems, however, that the major labels may not share such qualms.
The January issue Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1073495998300113802004-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:002004-01-08T14:47:26.436-08:00If this is true, it's just indescribably tasteless.
A doctor forced a weakened George Harrison to autograph a guitar for the physician's teenage son two weeks before the ex-Beatle died of cancer, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.
Filed by Harrison's estate, the suit alleges that the musician tried to resist the request by saying, "I do not even know if I know how to spell my name anymore."
The Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1073348366571789962004-01-05T16:19:00.000-08:002004-01-05T16:20:38.030-08:00A Gratefully Undead New Years
This is how I spent the last hours of 2003 and the initial portion of 2004.
It was my first Dead-related show since June of 1995, two months before what was the Saddest Day Of My Life (tm) at the time. Though that's not entirely accurate, as I saw Phil Lesh & Friends from above the Greek Theater in June of 2002, being a cheapskate and all.
I had long been Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1073084256339610742004-01-02T14:57:00.000-08:002004-01-03T23:17:56.700-08:00The Best Albums Of 2003
And now, the second installment of our year-end best-of poll, the results for the best albums of the year:
AlbumArtistPointsMentions1. Hail To The ThiefRadiohead35(3)
2. Room On FireThe Strokes26(4)3. Permission To LandThe Darkness25(4)4. Speakerboxxx/The Love BelowOutKast22(3)5. HoboSapiensJohn Cale13(1)5. Want OneRufus Wainwright13(2)7. De-Loused In The ComatoriumThe Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1073001060508856032004-01-01T15:51:00.000-08:002004-01-01T15:52:44.780-08:00The Best Songs Of 2003
I'm pleased to bring you the results of our year-end best-of poll. The first installment of results will consist of the results for the best songs of the year. Incidentally, while all If Six contributors participated, nobody else sent in any votes. A pity, that. There also wasn't much consensus - no song got votes from more than two voters. (There was more consensus inPaulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1072864741210019872003-12-31T01:59:00.000-08:002003-12-31T11:25:10.936-08:00You May Ask Yourself, "How Do I Work This?"
I just so happened to be listening to Stop Making Sense when I stumbled onto this gem of an article:
David Byrne, an accomplished composer, photographer and lead singer of Talking Heads, has evolved -- some would say devolved -- into an unlikely artistic medium: PowerPoint.
Best known for vocals in "Psycho Killer" and "Burning Down the House," Byrne Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1072812081559258552003-12-30T10:36:00.000-08:002003-12-30T11:24:27.263-08:00God Save The Queen, Part 2: Because Andy needs another English Metal Band to Call His Own
No long intro, Ill get right into it: The Cooper Temple Clause is the best new metal (not nu-metal) band since Tool. No other band has such an original sound, or one so fitting of the anger and fear that a good metal band sound have. The best way to describe their sound would be Gun N Roses meets Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1072723719210437702003-12-29T10:48:00.000-08:002003-12-29T10:56:18.280-08:00This One's For You, Andy
As I've been thinking about the ifsix end of the year poll, and so I thought, self, what are RS and Spin saying? Here's what they came up with:
The Darkness made RS's top 50 albums of the year and also came in 25th for Spin's top 40 of the year. AND The Mars Volta ranked 21st, again in Spin's top 40. I thought that was kind of neat, since both Andy and my brother love Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1072696583505366432003-12-29T03:16:00.000-08:002003-12-29T04:00:28.170-08:00Defying McCain-Feingold for the sake of Nelly Furtado
Yes, this would constitute an issue ad within 6 weeks (er, 3 days) of the polls closing, but I can't help myself.
I had all of my poll rankings worked out, but when I bought Folklore, a readjustment was clearly in order. How do I enjoy this album? Let me quantify the ways:-- Best use of a banjo in pop music in recent memory. Of course, itBrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1072509700191342562003-12-26T23:21:00.000-08:002003-12-26T23:24:59.750-08:00Helloooooo Out There!
Sorry to break the deafening silence around here - what're you hippies doing, meditating? - but I wanted to remind people to send in ballots for the IfSix year-end poll. I understand that everybody's on break, but seriously, what could be a more entertaining way to spend your time than by pretentiously quantifying your musical preferences? Get with the program, people.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1071699185130577482003-12-17T14:13:00.000-08:002003-12-18T14:24:06.513-08:00Whippin' The Llama's @$$
Winamp 5 is out. It's really groovy. I thought Winamp 3 was great, but 5 is better simply by virtue of the fact that the programmers gave up the "we want to develop our own programming language" thing and got back to the basics - making Winamp 5 not just more powerful, but also faster and less bloated. It's also completely backwards compatible. It also has really Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1071641793618790452003-12-16T22:16:00.000-08:002003-12-17T11:19:09.670-08:00OK, so I had a few minutes this evening and basically reassembled the code from what I could find in Google's cache of our page. I think it's mostly like what we used to have, but if anybody remembers something in particular that's different now, let me know.
I still don't know what happened earlier. I'm saving a notepad file with out template on it in case this happens again.
Update: Andy Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1071369554644037572003-12-13T18:39:00.000-08:002003-12-13T18:42:16.530-08:00The Year In Review
I don't think we had a list this past Friday, but I think we are going to make up for that with a big, year-in-review list. I propose the following mechanism - based on the Village Voice's "Pazz & Jop" poll - for the generation of two lists representing the aggregated opinions of all If Six Was Nine contributors and, since our readership is probably not tremendous, any Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1071297475942366612003-12-12T22:37:00.000-08:002003-12-12T22:42:41.716-08:00Killer Queen
It seems a lot of great 60's-80's bands are being reinvented in the good ol' 21st century.
For a little backwash of some Queen, see The Darkness if you haven't already caught them on MTV or VH1 etc etc.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1071121540615235612003-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:002003-12-10T21:48:59.090-08:00Love is Hell: pt. 2
A quick confession which may disqualify the rest of the review - I liked Love is Hell: pt. 1. It certainly wasnt Ryan Adams' best, but it was a decent piece of material. It was very moody in a way Rock N Roll isn't, and in a way Gold isn't either, but Demolition both alternately hinted and overindulged. On the other hand, it was unnecessary dense, filled with strings and Andy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07275064829012346123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1070611009418477032003-12-04T23:56:00.000-08:002003-12-05T00:03:37.186-08:00Love Is Hell: Part 1
It certainly is, and so is Ryan Adams's independent production. Now granted, I wasn't wowed by Rock and Roll, but this is certainly no better. I was actually really looking forward to this album because, purist that I am, I figured this is what Ryan was really trying to make until the label got all demanding and unreasonable. No wonder they sent him back to the studio; this Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1070596690609286612003-12-04T19:58:00.000-08:002003-12-04T20:00:34.153-08:00Question for the Grammy types
Saw your nominees list. Fascinating.
But I'm receiving an incoming call from the representatives of 1996. It seems they want to know why you consider Fountains of Wayne a "new artist". The borderline-nerdy children of the mid-Clinton administration era often found themselves humming along to the reasonably listenable "Radiation Vibe" and "Sink to the Bottom". Brennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5826930.post-1070519090286268952003-12-03T22:24:00.000-08:002003-12-03T22:25:29.420-08:00Radiohead in Germany
A friend of mine is out in Europe this year on the EAP. She went to a Radiohead concert a few weeks ago in Germany during her stay there. The following is what she had to say:
"Radiohead was absolutely amazing. They played for about 2 and a half hours, it was great, fabulous, awesome, and all those other words used to describe something so unexplainably good."
So there Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08958399380992110087noreply@blogger.com