Well, since she's from Dublin, it's arses.

Here's a rock-a-billy gaining some buzz across the pond -- mainly due to her intense, high spirited song, Johnny Got a Boom-Boom.

Combined the good, take-no-shit attitude of Sons & Daughters with the swinging style of the Stray Cats and you'll get the feeling of what she's all about. Delving deeper into her song list on her debut album, Love Tattoos, you'll find tunes heavy on a country swing or a 40s-50s style jazz torch song. With her retro-look and old fashion voice, the comparisons to ... oh whatever, I won't go there.

She's gotten the biggest push from Jools Holland, who tapped her to be his opening act on his Fall tour and to perform on his talk show. Recently, she to play some dates with Van Morrison.

Here's her performance on Later of "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" Check out that wicked upright bass. Then her second song was the sweet "Falling in Love Again" where you can really savor her voice.
 

It's been almost six years since Bobby, Mani and the rest of Primal Scream have played in New York. So it's about damn time they get their asses back in town. They've set a date of March 28th at Webster Hall to play music from their latest album, Beautiful Future and hopefully their previous album, Riot City Blues. If you love British music and you've never seen Primal Scream, your attendance will be required. Tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster today at noon.

I did see them at one of their three shows they played at Irving Plaza in 2003. It was a highly memorable show. First off, they had one of the dumbest opening acts I've ever seen, Panthers. I'm not even sure if they are still around, but they were just incompetent and incoherent. The best part being that lthe ead singer would twirl his mic cord hoping to catch it at the right time. He messed up every time. At one point, the mic became unplugged and he didn't notice it for half a song.

Then between sets, a guy wearing a Kill All Hippies t-shirt got into a shoving match with some authentic British, cut from the cloth, old slappers. They reminded me of the Ab Fab chicks. I have no idea why, but he being more into the rock aspect of Primal Scream didn't mix with the ladies who more into the later raver side of the band. Security went into action and plenty of make-up was smeared. The Kill All Hippies guy didn't get to see the show.

Primal Scream themselves were on fire. They ended with Come Together and it was epic. It felt like they played it for 10 minutes. This was the Evil Heat tour so they started out with a bunch of  raver tracks like "Miss Lucifer" and "Swastika Eyes".

As you can see, they don't come around often, so take advantage of it.

Previously: One of my favorite interviews was with Mani back in 2006.

Taking the stage at Le Poisson Rouge was Barcelona mix master, El Guincho. After canceling his summer U.S. trek, Pablo Díaz-Reixa has been making feet dance with a proper tour. His second album, Alegranza!, might make its way onto my ten best of the year. One of the trends in music has been bands using knob turning and electric drum pads to create some strange and wonderful tropical and afro-beat rhythms. Such bands as These Are Powers, Ruby Suns, Cats in Paris, Holy Fuck, High Places and Wild Beasts have been doing their own spin on the genre using mostly preprogrammed sequences with some live instruments.

El Guincho is the best at making the sound mostly closely akin to the tropicalia movement, a la Os Mutantes. Pablo's sound is a Rio De Janeiro carnival, Mardi Gras and Mummers parade wrapped into one crazy party. Even when he played more 'darker" music tonight, there seemed to be an undercurrent of sunny optimism. You can disect his music and catch all the nuiances -- the steel drums, whistles, opera singing. I like all the big beats alongside his vocal anthems. It's like a football match for FC Barcelona.

The good news about his live act, with an added assistant on the drum pads, is that the songs are slightly different than the recorded material. I was expecting the album tracks to be played live with some singing. With something like Palmitos Park, it was slowed down and re-mixed to make it more of child like daydream. It still had a lot of fancy synth sequences and samples while Pablo's voice addingan echo effect.

The bad news about the night was that it was absolute insanity to have your headlining act go on at 12:20am on Tuesday. We're forced to listen to crappy guido fist pump music waiting for Lemonade to go on, then a 30-40 minute set-up for Guincho. It was full of suck, one big massive suck. Plenty of grumbles among the crowd. I left after six songs. He deserves a better start time than that.

As for Lemonade, I was going back and forth  on whether i liked them. They sound like Holy Fuck meets The Rapture. Their lifeline is the live drums, that just overpowers the whole band. The songs are good and danceable when you listen to it live. You then leave the room and forget it instantly. It's music for there and then. Their uptempo tracks have a lot drive, while their slower ones are tedious.

To Lose My Life...  will be released on Jan. 12 in the U.K. with a U.S. release TBA

1. Death 2. To Lose My Life 3. A Place To Hide 4. Fifty On Our Foreheads 5. Unfinished Business 6. E.S.T 7. From The Stars 8. Farewell To The Fairground 9. Nothing To Give

10. The Price Of Love

Previously:

* WL play Mercury Lounge back in August.

It was only a matter of time, but Australia's favorite 17-year old singer and current U.K. sensation is ready for her U.S. close-up. Lessons To Be Learned will see a release date of March 17 on Universal Republic. So by April you should be sick of her. By May, she'll be dating the Mac guy.

It doesn't take a genius to see and hear that the kid will find a wide audience here. Beleive or not, although the album is mainstreamy, it's got some portions that are warrenting attention. "Don"t Want to Go To Bed" is a decent toe-tapper. I pointed her out in Guide To All The Singers in the Post-Winehouse Era.

You have been warned.

Celebrating today is Woody Allen, Steve Garvey, Jeremy Northern, Emily Mortimer and Sarah Silverman.

5. Sufjan Stevens from A Sun Came

4. Loretta Lynn from The Definitive Collection

3. Concrete Blonde from Free

2. Stevie Wonder from Hotter Than July

1. Altered Images from Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Be sure to wish your friendly neighborhood blogger a happy happy.

Nothing much happening in music land these days. Hope you had a good break.

The latest Nike ad with Lebron James uses Cornershop's "Candyman" from When I Was Born For the Seventh Time. That 1997 album is one of the most unappreciated albums from that decade. You have a wonderful menagerie of 60s British psychedelia, Asian pop and modern hip-hop beats.

Besides "Candyman," you obviously get Brimful of Asha, "Good to Be on the Road Back Home" with Paula Frazier of Tarnation, "Good Shit" (or "Good Stuff" for Target) and "Funky Days Are Back Again". "Candyman" features the rapping of Justin Warfield, now of She Wants Revenge (for awful this band is).

This all begs the question, where the hell is Cornershop ... ? A quick peak at their website and myspace page features a teaser music from a new album with no release date at this time. It would be their first album since 2002's Handcream for a Generation. As a whole that album wasn't close to the perfection of When I Was Born, but had some fun poppy tracks like "Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform" and "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III".

As for the stylish Nike Ad, you'll see an appearance of rapper and conviction-pending felon Lil Wayne. As long as you buy those kicks, you don't need to be reminded that he has a few run-ins with the 5-0. Lebron hangs with Lil Wayne, he's got street cred! 

Let's see if we can piece together what is actually been happening in the land of Blur, the best broken-up/not broken-up band in the history of music.

Sept. 2002: Graham Coxon leaves Blur or is kicked out during the recording of Think Tank. It's unclear who left who.

Feb. 2003: The Verve's Simon Tong takes Graham's place as the band's guitarist for the tour.

Nov. 14, 2003: Graham tells BBC6 that he's not going back to Blur.

May 13, 2004: Graham releases his best solo album, Happiness in Magazines, produced by former Blur producer Stephen Street.

May 25 2005: Damon is interviewed by BBC Radio and talks about missing Graham: “I grew up with Graham and it’s really confusing when you grow apart from someone who you grew up with. I’ve only got a sister so I did consider him for many years to be like my brother and it’s a real shame that there’s been such a breakdown in communication."

Oct. 19 2005: Damon speaks to XFM: "I think we’re gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won’t know about it. It’ll just ‘come out’. It’ll be so, sort of, underplayed. It’ll come out but you won’t know it’s us as it’ll be so, well, not us. We’ve got the songs but we’re gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it." As of today, no Blur EP has come out.

Dec. 9, 2005: Alex tells BBC that the band (sans Graham) are ready for another album.

March 31, 2006: Alex tells XFM: “We all got together before Christmas. Damon, Dave and I and were making the most nasty, dirty, filthy rock music I think we’ve ever made...it was great. And then Damon’s been making his records, I’ve been busy with Wigwam and Dave’s got this multi-media empire going on, but I think there’s plans to reconvene really soon, I think probably towards the end of the year.” Hey, Alex. How did that Wigwam thing go?

Nov. 2, 2006: Alex tells BBC: “I’ve got high hopes that Blur will have a happy four-piece ending. I think it would be a shame if it didn’t really. I think we’d all like to make another record. We’d all like to do it with Graham. I’ve been talking to Graham a bit and hopefully I can persuade him. I’m going to have to beg him though."

Nov. 11, 2006: Dave tells the BBC; “The days of Blur doing a tour will not happen, most of the band have kids now, and when you’re a touring band you have to make a choice, so there will never be a return to that, but we have been talking about doing an album next year, we have even set a date for it.”

Jan. 7, 2007: Alex tells the Sunday Times "I've been talking to Graham and there might be some good news ... We've always left the door open for him, so that's what I'm hoping for."

May 1, 2007: Alex tells Dotmusic: "We're all heading into the studio together this summer – Graham's coming too. We're gonna see if we've still got it. If not, I think we'll just call it a day."

July 13, 2007: Dave Rowntree tells NME:  "There is a week in the diary in September. But it’s a very small thing -- it could either be a seed or a full-stop.”

Aug. 3, 2007: Speaking to NME, Alex says :“I think we are kind of stuck together forever- one way or another. There will always be Blur somehow or other, I think.”

Sept. 10, 2007: Alex tells NME that a reunion "is going to happen soon," he said. "It's looking promising. It's important for us emotionally not to leave Blur as an unfinished thing. It could be good musically as well.”

Sept. 17, 2007: Graham tells the NME, "Dave, Alex and I are all talking. I talk to Alex the most. But there’s four individuals in the band,” he said. “We’re all really busy, but there’s definitely a week [when we’re going to record] ... I’m just raring to record,” he added. “But anything could happen. An alligator could come out of the Thames and eat the Tate Modern while I’m in it, or a mosquito could come and kill us all.”

Oct. 1, 2007: Blur has lunch together for the first time since Graham left. Who paid? They posted this bit of news of their official website.

May 21, 2008: Alex tells BBC6 Music: "We're all pretty busy but I'd be surprised if it [a reunion] never happen, but I would be terrified if it was happening on Monday."

June 2008: Blur turns down the headlining spot at Glastonbury.

Sept. 5, 2008: Damon tells Argentinian newspaper Clarin that Blur is over

Sept. 21, 2008: On the Blur message board, Graham Coxon, who is/was on better terms with Damon, writes, "Damon didn't consult anybody else before he took it into his own hands to make this comment," he wrote. "Therefore I think it is nonsense. It isn't for him to decide ... The facts are like this really: there's no Blur at the moment. Damon probably ain't interested in a Blur  that's not the full head count so I think it comes down to me trying again to contact him and talk to him. I tried before, as I said, and left messages."

Nov. 6, 2008:Damon tells BBC Newsbeat while promoting Monkey: Journey to the West that "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur," he said, "it really is very possible."

Nov. 21, 2008: Alex James turns 40 and likes to sell cheese.

Nov. 24, 2008: Damon Albarn tells Radio 2's Janice Long that Blur will rehearse in 2009. "Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we're into it," he said. 

Well, can you be more vague D? Hey, if Chinese Democracy can be released, I think the gang can produce some quality tunes.

Let's see if we can piece together what is actually been happening in the land of Blur, the best broken-up/not broken-up band in the history of music.

Sept. 2002: Graham Coxon leaves Blur or is kicked out during the recording of Think Tank. It's unclear who left who.

Feb. 2003: The Verve's Simon Tong takes Graham's place as the band's guitarist for the tour.

Nov. 14, 2003: Graham tells BBC6 that he's not going back to Blur.

May 13, 2004: Graham releases his best solo album, Happiness in Magazines, produced by former Blur producer Stephen Street.

May 25 2005: Damon is interviewed by BBC Radio and talks about missing Graham: “I grew up with Graham and it’s really confusing when you grow apart from someone who you grew up with. I’ve only got a sister so I did consider him for many years to be like my brother and it’s a real shame that there’s been such a breakdown in communication."

Oct. 19 2005: Damon speaks to XFM: "I think we’re gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won’t know about it. It’ll just ‘come out’. It’ll be so, sort of, underplayed. It’ll come out but you won’t know it’s us as it’ll be so, well, not us. We’ve got the songs but we’re gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it." As of today, no Blur EP has come out.

Dec. 9, 2005: Alex tells BBC that the band (sans Graham) are ready for another album.

March 31, 2006: Alex tells XFM: “We all got together before Christmas. Damon, Dave and I and were making the most nasty, dirty, filthy rock music I think we’ve ever made...it was great. And then Damon’s been making his records, I’ve been busy with Wigwam and Dave’s got this multi-media empire going on, but I think there’s plans to reconvene really soon, I think probably towards the end of the year.” Hey, Alex. How did that Wigwam thing go?

Nov. 2, 2006: Alex tells BBC: “I’ve got high hopes that Blur will have a happy four-piece ending. I think it would be a shame if it didn’t really. I think we’d all like to make another record. We’d all like to do it with Graham. I’ve been talking to Graham a bit and hopefully I can persuade him. I’m going to have to beg him though."

Nov. 11, 2006: Dave tells the BBC; “The days of Blur doing a tour will not happen, most of the band have kids now, and when you’re a touring band you have to make a choice, so there will never be a return to that, but we have been talking about doing an album next year, we have even set a date for it.”

Jan. 7, 2007: Alex tells the Sunday Times "I've been talking to Graham and there might be some good news ... We've always left the door open for him, so that's what I'm hoping for."

May 1, 2007: Alex tells Dotmusic: "We're all heading into the studio together this summer – Graham's coming too. We're gonna see if we've still got it. If not, I think we'll just call it a day."

July 13, 2007: Dave Rowntree tells NME:  "There is a week in the diary in September. But it’s a very small thing -- it could either be a seed or a full-stop.”

Aug. 3, 2007: Speaking to NME, Alex says :“I think we are kind of stuck together forever- one way or another. There will always be Blur somehow or other, I think.”

Sept. 10, 2007: Alex tells NME that a reunion "is going to happen soon," he said. "It's looking promising. It's important for us emotionally not to leave Blur as an unfinished thing. It could be good musically as well.”

Sept. 17, 2007: Graham tells the NME, "Dave, Alex and I are all talking. I talk to Alex the most. But there’s four individuals in the band,” he said. “We’re all really busy, but there’s definitely a week [when we’re going to record] ... I’m just raring to record,” he added. “But anything could happen. An alligator could come out of the Thames and eat the Tate Modern while I’m in it, or a mosquito could come and kill us all.”

Oct. 1, 2007: Blur has lunch together for the first time since Graham left. Who paid? They posted this bit of news of their official website.

May 21, 2008: Alex tells BBC6 Music: "We're all pretty busy but I'd be surprised if it [a reunion] never happen, but I would be terrified if it was happening on Monday."

June 2008: Blur turns down the headlining spot at Glastonbury.

Sept. 5, 2008: Damon tells Argentinian newspaper Clarin that Blur is over

Sept. 21, 2008: On the Blur message board, Graham Coxon, who is/was on better terms with Damon, writes, "Damon didn't consult anybody else before he took it into his own hands to make this comment," he wrote. "Therefore I think it is nonsense. It isn't for him to decide ... The facts are like this really: there's no Blur at the moment. Damon probably ain't interested in a Blur  that's not the full head count so I think it comes down to me trying again to contact him and talk to him. I tried before, as I said, and left messages."

Nov. 6, 2008:Damon tells BBC Newsbeat while promoting Monkey: Journey to the West that "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur," he said, "it really is very possible."

Nov. 21, 2008: Alex James turns 40 and likes to sell cheese.

Nov. 24, 2008: Damon Albarn tells Radio 2's Janice Long that Blur will rehearse in 2009. "Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we're into it," he said. 

Well, can you be more vague D? Hey, if Chinese Democracy can be released, I think the gang can produce some quality tunes.

Let's see if we can piece together what is actually been happening in the land of Blur, the best broken-up/not broken-up band in the history of music.

Sept. 2002: Graham Coxon leaves Blur or is kicked out during the recording of Think Tank. It's unclear who left who.

Feb. 2003: The Verve's Simon Tong takes Graham's place as the band's guitarist for the tour.

Nov. 14, 2003: Graham tells BBC6 that he's not going back to Blur.

May 13, 2004: Graham releases his best solo album, Happiness in Magazines, produced by former Blur producer Stephen Street.

May 25 2005: Damon is interviewed by BBC Radio and talks about missing Graham: “I grew up with Graham and it’s really confusing when you grow apart from someone who you grew up with. I’ve only got a sister so I did consider him for many years to be like my brother and it’s a real shame that there’s been such a breakdown in communication."

Oct. 19 2005: Damon speaks to XFM: "I think we’re gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won’t know about it. It’ll just ‘come out’. It’ll be so, sort of, underplayed. It’ll come out but you won’t know it’s us as it’ll be so, well, not us. We’ve got the songs but we’re gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it." As of today, no Blur EP has come out.

Dec. 9, 2005: Alex tells BBC that the band (sans Graham) are ready for another album.

March 31, 2006: Alex tells XFM: “We all got together before Christmas. Damon, Dave and I and were making the most nasty, dirty, filthy rock music I think we’ve ever made...it was great. And then Damon’s been making his records, I’ve been busy with Wigwam and Dave’s got this multi-media empire going on, but I think there’s plans to reconvene really soon, I think probably towards the end of the year.” Hey, Alex. How did that Wigwam thing go?

Nov. 2, 2006: Alex tells BBC: “I’ve got high hopes that Blur will have a happy four-piece ending. I think it would be a shame if it didn’t really. I think we’d all like to make another record. We’d all like to do it with Graham. I’ve been talking to Graham a bit and hopefully I can persuade him. I’m going to have to beg him though."

Nov. 11, 2006: Dave tells the BBC; “The days of Blur doing a tour will not happen, most of the band have kids now, and when you’re a touring band you have to make a choice, so there will never be a return to that, but we have been talking about doing an album next year, we have even set a date for it.”

Jan. 7, 2007: Alex tells the Sunday Times "I've been talking to Graham and there might be some good news ... We've always left the door open for him, so that's what I'm hoping for."

May 1, 2007: Alex tells Dotmusic: "We're all heading into the studio together this summer – Graham's coming too. We're gonna see if we've still got it. If not, I think we'll just call it a day."

July 13, 2007: Dave Rowntree tells NME:  "There is a week in the diary in September. But it’s a very small thing -- it could either be a seed or a full-stop.”

Aug. 3, 2007: Speaking to NME, Alex says :“I think we are kind of stuck together forever- one way or another. There will always be Blur somehow or other, I think.”

Sept. 10, 2007: Alex tells NME that a reunion "is going to happen soon," he said. "It's looking promising. It's important for us emotionally not to leave Blur as an unfinished thing. It could be good musically as well.”

Sept. 17, 2007: Graham tells the NME, "Dave, Alex and I are all talking. I talk to Alex the most. But there’s four individuals in the band,” he said. “We’re all really busy, but there’s definitely a week [when we’re going to record] ... I’m just raring to record,” he added. “But anything could happen. An alligator could come out of the Thames and eat the Tate Modern while I’m in it, or a mosquito could come and kill us all.”

Oct. 1, 2007: Blur has lunch together for the first time since Graham left. Who paid? They posted this bit of news of their official website.

May 21, 2008: Alex tells BBC6 Music: "We're all pretty busy but I'd be surprised if it [a reunion] never happen, but I would be terrified if it was happening on Monday."

June 2008: Blur turns down the headlining spot at Glastonbury.

Sept. 5, 2008: Damon tells Argentinian newspaper Clarin that Blur is over

Sept. 21, 2008: On the Blur message board, Graham Coxon, who is/was on better terms with Damon, writes, "Damon didn't consult anybody else before he took it into his own hands to make this comment," he wrote. "Therefore I think it is nonsense. It isn't for him to decide ... The facts are like this really: there's no Blur at the moment. Damon probably ain't interested in a Blur  that's not the full head count so I think it comes down to me trying again to contact him and talk to him. I tried before, as I said, and left messages."

Nov. 6, 2008:Damon tells BBC Newsbeat while promoting Monkey: Journey to the West that "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur," he said, "it really is very possible."

Nov. 21, 2008: Alex James turns 40 and likes to sell cheese.

Nov. 24, 2008: Damon Albarn tells Radio 2's Janice Long that Blur will rehearse in 2009. "Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we're into it," he said. 

Well, can you be more vague D? Hey, if Chinese Democracy can be released, I think the gang can produce some quality tunes.

She's pop. She's rockabilly. It's popabilly.

VV Brown should be one to watch with her first single, "Crying Blood,' a catchy rave-up with wicked hooks and a bouncy rhythm. Her voice has a confidence and defiance. It's good stuff.

As for the singer herself, Vanessa Brown (age 24)  had major label backing at 19. While she tried started her own solo career in Los Angeles, the majors were trying to package her as an R&B star in the Beyonce template. Resisting that fruit, she moved back to England and made some cash writing songs for the Pussycat Dolls and Girls Aloud. She signed with Island, who let her produce her own album, Traveling Like the Light, which will be out next Spring.

That resulting sound is a far cry from the cookie cutter R&B pop sound. It's retro pop/rock, soul, doo-wop with the look of 80s girl iinspired by the 50s/60s. It caught Ida Maria's ear and eye and asked her to join her on her U.K. tour.

And here's a performance for "Crying Blood"

They took the 90s BritPop chart battle with Blur way to far.

The guys look Liza Minnelli in different stages of her career.

To file under good news, bad news.

Alphabeat is probably the most popular international band that have yet to make the all import leap to the U.S. They've been playing to packed houses all over Europe and their debut album, This Is Alphabeat, is a Top 10 success. They super-sweet, overtly garish 80s pop music might not be for all tastes, but I think these Danes are dynamite. It's just unabashedly fun. "Touch Me, Touching You" is best song about mutual masturbation ever! "10.000 Nights of Thunder" is the "Never Going To Give You Up" for our generation. You haven't been Rick-rolled. You've been Alphabeat-rolled

So I've been keeping on eye on some proper U.S. dates or even a release for the album. With a resounding, "EGHAAAAAHHHHH," Alphabeat will open Katy Perry, who could be the worse "singer" in music now. She represents everything that is wrong in music. She's a commodity who was re-packaged, re-imagined and her sound re-tool to fit a mass-consuming teen demographic. I don't even think she sings on the album, it's all computerized and heavily produced. She's not an artist, she's a Happy Meal.

In any event, as much as would love to see Alphabeat live, and I will have pass until they are the headliners. The NY and Philly shows sold out anyway, so eff that. It just wouldn't be right to see them with a bunch of kids who couldn't care less about the opening act. I'm reminded of the time I saw The Boy Least Likely To opening for James Blunt. They put on a fine show, but the crowd reaction was barely above a mild applause.

On the flip side, I don't blame the band for trying to make a name for themselves by hitching up with K.P. It's a good deal that will get them exposure. In a perfect world, they would tour with somebody with some resemblance of creditability.

Here are the dates:

• Jan 23 -- Seattle: Showbox at the Market
• Jan 25 -- Vancouver: Commodore Ballroom
• Jan 26 -- Portland: Crystal Ballroom
• Jan 28 -- San Francisco: The Fillmore
• Jan 29 -- Sacramento:  Empire Events Centre
• Jan 31 -- Los Angeles: Wiltern
• Feb 2 -- Tuscon, AZ: University of Arizona
• Feb 3 -- Phoenix: Marquee Theatre
• Feb 5 -- San Diego: House of Blues
• Mar 20 -- Houston: House of Blues
• Mar 21 -- Dallas: House of Blues
• Mar 23 -- Kansas City: Beaumont
• Mar 24 -- Minneapolis: First Avenue
• Mar 26 -- Chicago: House of Blues
• Mar 27 -- Detroit: Clutch Cargos
• Mar 28 -- Cleveland: House of Blues
• Mar 30 -- Toronto: Kool Haus
• Apr 5 -- Philadelphia: Theatre of Living Arts
• Apr 7-8 -- New York: Irving Plaza
• Apr 10 -- Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
• Apr 11 -- Myrtle Beach, SC: House of Blues
• Apr 14 -- Nashville:  Cannery
• Apr 15 -- Atlanta, GA: CenterStage
• Apr 27 -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Revolution
• Apr 28 -- St. Petersburg, FL: Jannus Landing

This...

Plus...

And this...

Gives me no reason to leave my house.

It's just night and day. I couldn't resist anymore with the deal's out there.

I dialed up some HD music programming and the MOJO Channel has a fine selection of live clips recorded at London's KOKO. You can watch Alphabeat, Kate Nash, Calvin Harris, We Are Scientists, Archie Bronson Outfit, Editors, Bat for Lashes, Guillemots and associated bands in scarry clear clips. We can pick out the beads of sweat drip off the performers faces. That's amazingly creepy. Even better is the sound quality is bowel loosing amazing. I was watching some James Brown concerts and it brought tears to my eyes. 

Now, if you'll excuse me I have to be hypnotized by my new set-up. Outside world ... it was nice knowing you.

Coming from that musical hot bed city called Glasgow comes Attic Lights. Like a few Scottish bands, they sound like they can come from any where. Oddly enough, their recently enough album is called Friday Night Lights, named after the book, movie and TV show set in Texas. They sound like they could be from Texas, or Dublin or Australia or Mars.

Their Travis meets Beach Boys concoction of large, heart-felt tunes will have you paying attention. The Friday Nights Album was produced by Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis MacDonald with string arrangement by my man Bjorn of Peter Bjorn and John.

The band have played some live dates with The Fratellis, Camera Obscura and the Feeling. I will have to keep an eye out for them.

Meantime, check out their first single, "Bring You Down."

She couldn't make it for CMJ this year, but the Brits will be loving Florence Welch when she joins the ShockWaves NME Awards tour with Glasvegas, White Lies and Friendly Fires. 

• Liverpool University (Jan 29)
• Glasgow Academy (Jan 30)
• Newcastle Academy (Feb 1)
• Sheffield Academy (Feb 3)
• Birmingham Academy (Feb 4)
• Leeds Academy (Feb 8)
• Lincoln Engine Shed (1Feb 0)
• Nottingham Rock City (Feb 11)
• Norwich UEA (Feb 12)
• Cardiff University (Feb 14)
• Bristol Academy (Feb 15)
• Brighton Dome (Feb 16)
• Oxford Academy (Feb 17)
• Portsmouth Pyramid (Feb 19)
• Cambridge Corn Exchange (Feb 20)
• London Brixton Academy (Feb 21)

Meanwhile, she has a new video for her latest single, "Dog Days Are Over," which was produce by James Ford of The Last Shadow Puppets fame. Loves it!

My boys at Engine Room Recordings have completed work on their Guilt By Association compilation of covers from today's hottest artists. The digital release is available now and it's giving me the shivers over how cool it is. Vol. 1 had the stellar efforts of The Concretes doing Take That's "Want You Back" and Petra Haden's a capella take on Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."

Check out the tracklist of Vol. 2

1. My Brightest Diamond - Tainted Love (originally done by Gloria Jones)
2. The Bloodsugars - Self-Control (by Laura Branigan)
3. Robbers on High Street - Cool It Now (by New Edition)
4. Frightened Rabbit - Set You Free (by N-Trance)
5. Matt Pond PA - I'm Not Okay (by My Chemical Romance)
6. Takka Takka - In the Air Tonight (by Phil Collins)
7. Kaki King - I Think She Knows (by Justin Timberlake)
8. Francis And The Lights - Can't Tell Me Nothing (by Kanye West)
9. Lowry - Africa (by Toto)
10. The Forms - We Didn't Start The Fire (by Billy Joel)
11. Rafter - If You Leave (by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark)
12. Cassettes Won't Listen - Need You Tonight (by INXS)
13. Jukebox the Ghost - It's A Beautiful Life (by Ace of Base)
14. Max Vernon - I Kissed a Girl (by Kate Perry)

All this goodness can be listen to here in this lovely player:

Noah, his whale and all assorted associated members announced that they will not return to the U.S. in January. Instead, they will focus on the follow-up to Peaceful The World Lays Me Down.

As the band writes via their myspace page:

Despite this unavoidable necessity we would like to apologize to all the wonderful friends we made on our most recent American adventure, to anyone who has bought tickets or was preparing to do so.

The whole band enjoys an ongoing love affair with the US. The autumn tour was one of the most intense and heartening experiences of our lives and we were bristling with seasonal anticipation at the prospect of old faces and venues, not to mention new American audiences and experiences too. But there is simply not enough time in the world and we are sure that this next record will justify this difficult call.

With new songs to disseminate and even more America-famished, we will cross the pond to tour across the continent from March 2009. This is a promise, a published, globally-viewable promise.

In the meantime, the band will release the A-Sides EP on Dec. 22, which features punk tunes and covers. Proceeds from the album will benefit the Age Concern charity.

Previously:

• A whale of a fun time at Mercury Lounge

• I talked with the band about deli meats.

I'll post a few songs, you give your opinion if you think it's in the AM Gold genre or Yacht Rock genre. There's no both. It's one or the other.

We'll start with unappreciated singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. He's best known for Stealers Wheel, his band with Joe Egan, who recorded the Top 10 song "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1972. As solo artist, he took his experience busking on the London tube system and made the memorable No. 2 smash, "Baker Street"

For our little informal survey, I bring up his second most popular solo song, "Right Down The Line". It goes something like this,

You know I need your love
You've got that hold over me
Long as I've got your love
You know that I'll never leave
When I wanted you to share my life
I had no doubt in my mind
And it's been you woman
Right down the line

So is the song more AM Gold or Yacht Rock?

I was at dinner on Sunday and this song was played in the restaurant. It doesn't need much of an intro. "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me. UHHHHHH OOOHHHHH OHHHHHHH. No baby please dont go."

Peter Cetera probably can sing it better than I could. "If You Leave Me Now" was a No. 1 hit for Chicago in 1976.

Every time I hear the song, I think of the scene in Three Kings where it's played in the desert.

So is the song more AM Gold or Yacht Rock?

By the way, where the hell is Pete these days? I heard there was going to be a Karate Kid remake, so that means somebody needs to cover "Glory of Love".

Finally, we have America, with their classic smooth tune, "You Can Do Magic." This song is pretty much engrained in my brain thanks to steady dose of adult contemporary I was forced to listen to as a wee lad. Magic 103 WMGK Philadelphia is responsible for my adoration of yacht rock and 70s singer-songwriter music.

I use do these when I was stumped at to what to write tonight and when I'm pressed for time. So there are just kick hit thoughts and tidbits:

* Princess Snaggletooth Jewel is stopping by The Wellmont Theatre in February to save our souls, and the lies that we told. Also added to the Wellmont's lineup, a real favorite of mine, Pink Martini, who I saw last year in Paris.

* Guess who will be opening up for The Ting Tings are their big U.K. tour? Ladyhawke. In my delusional world, I had a hand in the pairing. I know, I'll shut up.

* Titus Andronicus added a headlining show on Jan. 14 at Maxwell's.

* If all goes as planned, The National should be releasing an album early next year on Beggers Banquet. It was recorded in their own studio that they built.

* Retro Asian pop band Dengue Fever will be heading out on tour in January around these parts. One date that has been announced is Maxwell's on Jan. 10.

* Muse takes over for Smashing Pumpkins in the new Watchmen trailer. Another reason for Billy Corgan to be pissed off.

* Recently added band names to the Canonical List of Weird Band Names include Discount Methlab, The AquaFaggots, Urethra Franklin and The Sweatpant Boners.

* The lovely people of Lucky Soul made New York Magazine in their Approval Matrix. They are brilliant and slightly below middlebrow. The scored better than Joaquin Phoenix's non-existent music career and Shirley Manson's acting career. 

*  Finally, Rough Trade released their Top 50 albums of the year. Bon Ivor tops the list, they usual pick an album that more acoustic Last year, it was Alela Devine's The Pirates Gospel.

1. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Vampire Weekend
4. White Denim, Workout Holiday
5. Metronomy, Nights Out
6. El Guincho, Alegranza
7. Benga, Diary of an Afro Warrior
8. Zombie Zombie, A Land of Renegades
9. Vivian Girls
10. Ladyhawke