2010 The Albums - League of Their Own

This is probably our favorite superlative to give out at the end of each year. It is given to the artist who is the most forward thinking, open minded, revolutionary musician out there today. Their accomplishments in the past 12 months have either resurrected a sound, broke down walls and created new frontiers or have totally reinvented a genre all together. In the past winners have included:

2000- Radiohead - Kid A
2001- The Strokes - Is This It?
2002- NERD - In Search of...
2003- The White Stripes - Elephant
2004- The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005- The Mars Volta - Francis the Mute
2006- TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
2007- Kanye West - Graduation
2008- Santogold

2009 - Mastodon - Crack the Skye

....and now to add to the growing list of revolutionary acts, is a band who has bent the rules before and continues to bend them without breaking. A supergroup of sorts but in no means a gimmick, they happen to be the world's first animated band and even after being around for nearly a decade, they are still the world's only animated band. With their latest effort they have taken us on a musical odyssey to a world called, Plastic Beach. The recipient of the 2010 League of Their Own is:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

A record that not only takes the listener on a journey but knows how to have fun in the process. Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett recruited some of the best in the business to guest on their latest, a slew of stars from all genres: The Fall's Mark E Smith, The Clash's Paul Siminon and Mick Jones, Bobby Womack, Snoop Dog, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Little Dragon and more. A beautifully crafted record of various styles, sounds and culture. This is by far the greatest achievement Gorillaz have ever done. Not to mention backed by a mind-blowing World Tour, Gorillaz owned 2010 and we are forever indebted to them for it.

Key Tracks: Empire Ants (feat. Little Dragon), Cloud of Unknowing (feat. Bobby Womack)

Cake on Conan

Cake hit up Conan this week to play songs "Sick of You," and "Long Time." Take a look!

Live Review - Peter Hook @ Webster Hall

For the first time in over 30 years, Joy Division's debut masterpiece was brought to life in America. Former Joy Division / New Order bassist Peter Hook and his band The Light, have brought the album over for a live concert experience to celebrate the Unknown Pleasures 30th anniversary. In a tour that started a year ago in the birthplace of the album, Manchester, England and has gone all around the world has finally made it's way across the pond.
Joy Division formed in 1976 in Manchester and through their mysterious sound and interesting take on punk (a sound so interesting it is called post-punk), the band quickly became the talk of England and then soon Europe. Having released only two records 1979's Unknown Pleasures and 1980's Closer, the band were bound to take over the world and on the eve of their first North American tour, singer Ian Curtis took his own life and the band dismantled soon after. The surviving members of Joy Division formed New Order and took the 1980's by storm in the wake of Curtis' passing.

While New Order has had the opportunity to play around the world and would throw in Joy Division songs in each set, Joy Division themselves where never able to properly tour the fruits of their labor. Now with Peter Hook doing the anniversary gigs, it is the first time most fans around the world and a whole new generation can experience a part of Joy Division in concert.

The night at Webster Hall would start off rather rocky, with no opening act, Hooky had a DVD of the history of Joy Division and the late 70's Manchester music scene play, yet with massive technical difficulties in trying to get the unnecessary and rather boring documentary to work, Peter Hook and the Light took the stage. Hooky takes the singing duties of the late Ian Curtis and does a rather good job mimicking the late singers baritone voice. Opening with the non-Unknown Pleasures track "No Love Lost," the band sounded a bit sloppy and the sound in the venue was off, you could see Hooky get frustrated with the sound technicians over what was coming through the monitors and speakers. After a rocky three song start, Unknown Pleasures finally came into full effect as soon as they started playing the records lead track "Disorder." Sounding just absolutely perfect at this point it was a trip through nostalgia for all, young and old. While The Light does their best to recreate the Joy Division songs, Hooky just stood on stage clutching his bass most of the night and not doing much. Though we know Ian's legacy of dancing around like a maniac on stage, Hook would just stand like a statue with a puss on his face in between singing duties. While the most impressive person on stage was Hooky's son, Jack Bates on bass, it was Unknown Pleasures we were hearing but clearly not Joy Division we were seeing. After an hour on stage and a brief encore that included the closing number and Joy Division's biggest single "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the night was done.

Seeing acts such as this are indeed an experience to fans but much like what the surviving members of The Doors and Yardbirds do, it is really just seeing the world's greatest cover band with some original creators of the music.

Crash Kings Latest

Check out the latest video from our friends Crash Kings for the song "Non Believer"

Holiday Playlist Vol 4

Tired of the same old holiday and Christmas songs? Here is our annual Holiday Playlist to sharpen your songs and make you the envy of all your friends.

Coldplay – "Christmas Lights"

The Killers - "Boots"
A Fine Frenzy - Winter White"

Bob Dylan - "First Noel"
Glasvegas - "Careful What You Wish For"
Keith Richards - "Run Rudolph Run"
Sting - "I Saw Three Ships"
Jimi Hendrix - "Little Drummer Boy / Silent Night / Auld Lang Syne"
A Fine Frenzy - "Wish You Well"
Bob Dylan - "Must Be Santa"

The Pretenders - "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa"
Ravonettes - "Come on Santa"
Decemberists - "Angel, Wont you Call Me"
Au Revoir Simone - "Christmas Time is Here"
Weezer - "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
G Love - "Christmas Baby"
Jack Johnson - "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"
Squirrel Nut Zippers - "A Johnny Ace Christmas"
Norah Jones - "Peace"
Darlene Love - "White Christmas"
Sting - "The Snow it Melts the Soonest"
Steel Panther - "Sexy Santa"
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – "Ain’t No Chimneys in the Projects"
Binky Griptite - "Holiday Breakdown"
Flaming Lips – "A Change at Christmas"
LCD Soundsystem – "Oh You (Christmas Blues)"
Paloma Faith & Josh Well - "It's Christmas and I Hate You"

For Holiday Playlist Vol 3 - Click HERE

For Holiday Playlist 2.0 - Click HERE

For 1st Annual Holiday Playlist - Click HERE

Bright Eyes & Joy Formidable Track Listings

In his first album since 2007's Cassadaga, Coner Oberst is picking up his old moniker, Bright Eyes for a new album. Bright Eyes latest, The People's Key will be out in February but you can take a look at the track listing here:
'Firewall'
'Shell Games'
'Jejune Stars'
'Approximate Sunlight'
'Haile Selassie'
'A Machine Spiritual (In The People’s Key)'
'Triple Spiral'
'Beginner’s Mind'
'Ladder Song'
'One For You, One For Me'

The Joy Formidable will be releasing their debut record, The Big Roar in January. The UK indie darlings have been on a massive tour of the US and Europe all year and here is what will appear on their debut:
'The Ever Changing Spectrum Of A Lie'
'The Magnifying Glass'
'I Don't Want To See You Like This'
'Austere'
'A Heavy Abacus'
'Whirring'
'Buoy'
'Maruyama'
'Cradle'
'Llaw = Wall'
'Chapter 2'
'The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade'

QUICK NEWS

Editors are releasing a career spanning box set entitled, Editors Unedited. The box set includes the bands three studio albums on CD and vinyl as well as an additional disc and vinyl of rarities and b-sides. The band is also going to begin writing the follow up to last years, In This Light and On This Evening after the holidays with producer Flood.

After a five year hiatus, underrated American rock band The Jayhawks are coming back! The band has begun recording a new album and will do a small tour this winter. No word as to when the record will be released.

UK sensations Frankie and the Heartstrings will release their debut record, Hunger on Valentines Day in the UK.

Albert Hammond Jr of the Strokes has said to Rolling Stone that the band scrapped an entire albums worth of material before finding their footing for their upcoming record. The band have 10 songs for the new disc which is a follow up to 2006's First Impression of Earth. The album will be out by March.

Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong will join the cast of American Idiot for 50 performances this winter. Billie Joe is slipping into the role of St. Jimmy, a role he did for a week this past fall when the main actor had an emergency and could not perform.

Rising Artist - Exit Calm

If the atmosphere had a soundtrack, it would sound like Exit Calm. The northern British band has been around for two years and are gaining much attention in their homeland especially from big names like Liam Gallagher, Mani of Primal Scream, Dark Star and the man who discovered Stone Roses, Oasis and Glasvegas - Alan McGee. With a roster of fans this important, you know they have to be much more than hype. Exit Calm are an ambient rock band with heart and soul. Their self-titled debut has just been released and to no surprise, much critical praise. The 11 song album sounds as if it was recorded in outer space and was a gift from the heavens, Exit Calm are a band that are poised for big things, keep an eye on them now because down the line they will be the next big thing.

Underrated Classic - Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti"

35 years later and this album still packs a punch. Led Zeppelin's sixth record came as a surprise to fans as it is a double album of emotional and musical change for the legendary hard rockers. Recorded at a time when bassist John Paul Jones was considering leaving the band, they took a brief break and reunited and began writing. Through there writing and living together, the band delivered one of their most masterful and powerful works. Physical Graffiti is Zeppelin at the writing and recording best, an album that has gone 16 times platinum, it brought a new energy to the group. Featuring the songs "Houses of the Holy, "Trampled Under Foot," "Kashmir" and "In My Time of Dying," the mysterious hard rockers became more of an enigma when fans first heard this record. With it's iconic front cover and name - taken from a tenement building in New York City's St. Marks Place and of a store which is the basement to the building, Physical Graffiti is a masterpiece work from a band that delivered nothing but the best.

Movie of the Month - Atonement

A stunning film off a classic British story. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley star in visionary director Joe Wrights 2007 adaptation of Ian McEwans beloved novel of lies, deception and war. One of the best films of that year, Atonement tells the story of two lovers, McAvoy and Knightley, as they are forcefully separated after he is wrongfully accused of rape during the height of World War II. It is a tale of the have and the have-nots and love and war. Wrights brilliant direction and use of camera make the film a beautiful motion picture and garnished the film a 2008 Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama. Atonement is a shocking story that will leave you guessing and take you on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. This is one to watch.