This Is a Thing That Exists: Billy Ray Cyrus with Fred Durst on The Arsenio Hall Show

I could have sworn Billy Ray Cyrus was that guy with that atrocious hit song over 20 years ago, you know the one that ushered in the horrid pop country movement? I thought he and his mullet were everywhere and had been dismissed as a joke decades ago, but I must have been wrong because here he is on The Arsenio Hall Show performing his new song "Lately." Obviously he's now a dark and brooding artist because look at that hat! That hat is the official hat of the American Idol deep singer-songwriter guy and not something that was chosen by a stylist to put on an aging, decades past his prime country line dance act to make him seem young and vital. And holy crap! Here's Fred Durst, who's also completely relevant. The target audience of this has to be Kid Rock fans who can't decide if they like bad ass rapper Kid Rock or country troubadour Kid Rock best. Either way, this is clearly the most honest and not a desperate attempt collaboration ever.

First Listen: New Releases for October 8

This might be the biggest new release week of the fall for me, personally, with a lot of long-awaited albums on the docket. Let's get right to it:

Lorde - Pure Heroine: By now, you've almost certainly heard "Royals" (which I raved about back in August), and 16-year-old Lorde's debut album releases today. What I find interesting about Pure Heroine is how quiet and understated it is. It's not a bad album at all, far from it - instead, it's a lot more stark than you might think given the lush vocals in "Royals." I expected a more mainstream Bjork sound, or perhaps some Portishead-style vocals, and instead it's a little safer (being so young and being a mainstream release, this isn't a surprise). It's worth a listen for sure, if only because it's probably the album of the fall, but temper your expectations.

V V Brown - Samson and Delilah: V V Brown's first album, Travelling Like the Light, was a revelation in many ways for me. "Shark in the Water" was an instant classic, for sure, but the way Brown was able to bounce around genres so easily make it stand out for me on a whole. Seeing a new album on the horizon, I was excited, but Samson and Delilah is a very different album in almost all regards. Dark and brooding, perhaps thematically a concept album at its core, it's a more interesting experience than it is an enjoyable, hooky record. I definitely need more time with it, but it's definitely up there as one of the more interesting releases of the week.

Lindi Ortega - Tin Star: If I could choose a word to describe Lindi Ortega, it's dependable. She's put out three albums in the last three years, all of which were solid rootsy music. She came into my radar with "Little Lie," the first track on her first non=independent album, and each song and album after that has been some of the same well-written, well-executed Americana-style music. Really someone who needs to be part of your regular rotation if you haven't had an opportunity to listen to her yet, as Tin Star is just as solid as everything else that she's done. My one complaint, in all honesty, is that it feels too short.

Turin Brakes - We Were Here: Turin Brakes were one of my favorite bands through their first few albums. "Underdog (Save Me)" is still an all-time favorite song, and they finally toured the United States about 8 years after that album came out. That they never seemed to make it big in the United States has been puzzling to me, but seeing as the first listen of We Were Here sounds like their best album in a long time. It's a throwback of sorts to their earliest work, and has that perfect mix of the more sonically interesting folk music that put them on the map to begin with. Definitely a must listen, absolutely a surprise.

Lissie - Back to Forever: Lissie's Catching a Tiger was one of my favorite albums when it came out, and it feels like it took forever for a proper followup to be released. That time is now, and I have to say that it's absolutely worth the wait. Lissie knows how to write a song like no one else does, and I can't say there's a song on here that I didn't notice while I was listening to it. If there's a downside, it's the protest song "Mountaintop Removal," which is more than a little on the nose and too direct to be effective. A small complaint for what is probably going to end up near the top of my year-end list.

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals: It took three albums, but they finally nailed it. This is not a slap at their debut album or the follow-up, but the formula they had working still needed some help, and it seems like Bitter Rivals does the crunchy noise with the solid hooky melodies better than anything we've heard since "Infinity Guitars." The key problem with Reign of Terror was the reliance on more lush airy tunes, which doesn't work so well with the sound they try to make. Bitter Rivals works because of the aggression factor, because it does what they do well extremely well. Very glad to hear this is as good as I had hoped.

Deap Vally - Sistronix: I first heard "Lies" on an episode of Jools Holland, of all places. They seemed like what I always wish The Dead Weather were: less blues, more rawk. Deap Vally is absolutely borrowing liberally from the White Stripes, and it works really well. It's angsty and angry, it's got a lot of driving guitar, it's pretty much what I was hoping for when I listened to their EP. Definitely check this one out.

Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr - The Speed of Things: I love this band name, and I loved a handful of their songs from their first EP, but their album left me cold and, to be honest, their second album left me colder. If you're into the whole late-60s psych-folk thing, yeah, this could resonate. This doesn't work for me, though.

Of Montreal - Lousy With Sylvianbriar: Speaking of late-60s psych-folk things, Of Montreal is back with a new album. They've gone all over the place in the last decade, and there's been a lot of dabbling in electronics and such that hasn't really done it for me. Whether it was meant to be or not, Lousy With Sylvianbriar is the most Of Montreal Of Montreal album since, perhaps, the Aldhils Arboretum/Satanic Panic in the Attic era. It's a surprising return to form, and one I'm glad to hear since I very nearly skipped this album entirely on my weekly list. It remains to be seen as to whether this has similar staying power to some of their better albums, but for now, I'm just glad they're back to what I love.

St. Lucia - When the Night: I kind of tore apart the Haim album last week because it felt like faux-nostalgia. Ken and I talked about it later on, and we both felt pretty cold to the album, which makes me wonder if it's less a nostalgia thing and more that the album just wasn't that good. I'm leaning more toward the latter having heard St. Lucia, which is another deliberate throwback piece. This also comes straight out of some of the 1980s excess, but not in the Duran Duran/a-ha way, but more of a Phil Collins or Lionel Richie sort of thing. I don't have a ton of love for that era, either (although I'll never say no to a Phil Collins listen), but I don't know why this feels more sincere than Haim. Maybe it's less produced? Maybe it's the lack of buzz (although I swear I know this band from something). Regardless, chalk this up as one of the more interesting releases this week.

RJD2 - More Is Than Isn't: Chances are, you listen to RJD2 because you like the Mad Men theme. The new album is that same sort of genre-flipping electronica that RJD2 seems to do so well, and it's both impressive in its scope and generally standard. I like it, but it feels like background music more than anything. What RJD2 does is unique within the genre, and yet never fully stands out for me, and this album was unfortunately no different.

Amos Lee - Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song: Amos Lee is another rootsy folk fellow who really dives into it this time around, and it works. It's a little longer than I might like, but there are some really solid songs on here that would probably stand out more if it hadn't been a banner month or so for this genre. I like this a lot, and fear it'll get caught in the shuffle.







Also out this week:

* Electric Six - Mustang
* Cage the Elephant - Melophobia
* William Shatner - Ponder the Mystery

Helmet - "Anything and Everything"

To mark the Australian co-headlining tour of Helmet and the Melvins (WHY NO US DATES!!?!?!?!), the two bands have released a split 7", and you can hear the Helmet side, "Anything and Everything" right now. The song is damn good, probably their best work of this century. Paige Hamilton hasn't slowed a bit even after multiple decades in the biz and this stands right up with their earlier work. The song slows down a bit too much right in the middle, but the beginning and the absurd firecracker of an end more than makes up for that.

As always, check out Helmet's website here, and see the dates for the Helmet/Melvins tour below. Damn you, Australia.

Oct 11   The Canyon Theater   Agoura Hills, CA

Oct 12   The Date Shed   Indio, CA

Oct 13   The Yost Theater w/ Weapon-X    Santa Ana, CA

Dec 08   The Hi Fi w/ Melvins    Brisbane, Australia

Dec 09   Northern Hotel w/ Melvins    Byron Bay, Australia

Dec 11   Cambridge Hotel w/ Melvins    Newcastle, Australia

Dec 12   Anu Bar w/ Melvins    Canberra, Australia

Dec 14   Meredith Music Festival    Meredith, Australia

Dec 15   The Hi Fi w/ Melvins    Sydney, Australia

Dec 16   The Gov w/ Melvins    Adelaide, Australia

Dec 18   The Hi Fi   Melbourne, Australia

Dec 20   Bodega   Wellington, New Zealand

Dec 21   Galatos   Newton, New Zealand

Pixies - "Andro Queen"

Remember how I hated "Bagboy" and then the Pixies released "Indie Cindy" and I decided all hope was not lost? I was wrong. Today the Pixies came out with their newest video for "Andro Queen" and it's officially the nail in their coffin. If you have any friends that are huge Bryan Adams or Def Leppard fans, you'll want to share this with them. It's a pretty little ballad with cornball lyrics and plenty of tremolo on Frank Black's vocals. Oh, and then he starts ranting in Spanish, because that's edgy. I guess. 

RIP Pixies.

Deltron 3030 - Event II

Thirteen long years ago, the hip hop supergroup known as Deltron 3030 released their debut album. Comprised of Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala, Deltron 3030 was set in the year 3030 and sounded exactly like the future of hip hop. It seemed like a one off, but every so often you’d hear a rumor of a follow up album.

Now, in 2013 (or 3040 according to the album), it has finally happened. Event II somehow sounds like it could have been recorded immediately after Deltron 3030. Looking back on the past is a recurring theme on the album with song titles like “Do You Remember” and “Back in the Day.” The album is such a throw back they even include sketches between songs, which I can’t even remember the last time I heard that. It’s probably because sketches are usually terrible, but Deltron 3030 enlists David Cross, Amber Tamblyn, and The Lonely Island for sketches, which all keep the “back in my day” theme alive. The album features a few other non-musicians, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt providing the album intro voiceover and Mary Elizabeth Winstead singing the hook on “Look Across the Sky,” one of the highlights of the album. Two of the other most notable guest stars include Zack de la Rocha on “Melding of the Minds” and Mike Patton on “City Rising From the Ashes,” my personal favorite on the album. That’s not even mentioning Del’s Gorillaz collaborator Damon Albarn showing up on “What Is This Loneliness.”

Event II doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as Deltron 3030 did 13 thirteen years ago. It could be easy to blame its existence on nostalgia. I mean, the theme of the album is nostalgia for when times were better. Think back to 2000… Things did seem better then. Nostalgia or not, this is a strong contender for Album of 2013.

Head on over to Deltron 3030’s official website to purchase the album or for more info. Below you’ll find the video for “City Rising From the Ashes” and their current tour dates.

10-08 Boston, MA - Paradise
10-09 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl #
10-10 Washington, DC - Howard Theatre
10-11 Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
10-13 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts #
10-14 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom #
10-16 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-18 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
10-19 Chicago, IL - House of Blues #
10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-23 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10-25 Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis Festival #
11-10 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest #
11-15 Denver, CO - Boom Fest #

# with The 3030 Orchestra

This is a Thing That Exists: Steve Albini on Lil Bub's Big Show

The internet loves cats, especially cute ones. So of course it was only a matter of time before Lil Bub got her own talk show. For those of you with lives, Lil Bub is this cat that is a dwarf, a permakitten, and has some other genetic deformity that gives her a short lower jaw and no teeth, so her tongue always hangs out. This makes her adorable, and clearly deserving of her own talk show. Who appears on episode 3 of this talk show you ask? Why, Steve Albini of course. Most of you probably know Steve Albini as the recording engineer (not producer) of such acts as Nirvana, the Pixies, Bush, and Jimmy Page & Robert Plant. He is also the frontman of Shellac, and before that Big Black. If you're unfamiliar with Big Black, watch this video below:



I know the first time I ever heard Songs About Fucking I couldn't wait to see Albini give a tiny, adorably deformed cat a tour of his studio. 

Ryan Adams produced a new Fall Out Boy album??????

I hate hate hate Fall Out Boy. I hate everything about them: Their obviously carefully picked out Hot Topic wardrobe and eye make up, their overly polished top 40 songs pretending to be punk rock... Now, I'm not Mr. Punk Rock by any stretch of the imagination, but I know enough punk to know they're not it, and to be offended by the claim that they were. My hatred of them ran so deep I started to dislike bands I loved like The Promise Ring and Jawbreaker just because they were lumped with them into the whole emo thing.

Which is why I was so dumbfounded that Ryan Adams produced the upcoming Fall Out Boy album. Pax Am Days is supposedly a return to their punk roots, but I have yet to see any evidence that they have any. What's most surprising is that this song isn't terrible. I'm not ready to go out on a limb and say that it's good yet, but it's not bad. I'm not sure if I'm 100% comfortable with that statement, but there it is. The gang vocal chorus seems to be trying a bit too hard, but that's the worst I can say about it. I guess the best news is if Ryan Adams can make Fall Out Boy punk, I can't imagine how the new Evan Dando/Ben Deily/Juliana Hatfield Lemonheads album he produced will sound.

Pax Am Days is out on October 15. If you're curious enough, listen to "Love, Sex, Death" below.

First Listen: New Releases for October 1

Nothing long-awaited outside of Haim's debut album has dropped this week, but it's still a surprisingly robust week for new releases. Let's dive in:

Tired Pony - The Ghost of the Mountain: Tired Pony is a side project/supergroup headed up by Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and including members of Belle & Sebastian, producer Jackknife Lee, and so on. The first album was a quieter, folksy affair that didn't exactly fit in with anything any of the members have done, and The Ghost of the Mountain certainly feels more complete, but still suffers from that same sort of quiet quality where nothing catches your ear enough to really give it full attention. As a complete unabashed R.E.M. fanboy, I will give this more of a shot, but it's not really catching my ear.

Moby - Innocents: I hate to say this, but I didn't realize Moby was still making albums. The last I had recalled was 2005's Hotel, and he apparently has a few albums in between. Innocents is closer to what I've liked from Moby in the past even if it feels more relic-like than anything else. The highlights for me were the song with Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and the two tracks that featured Cold Specks, but overall, this feels less like an album and more like a weird curiosity from a time when electronic music was very different.

Haim - Days Are Gone: I admittedly wasn't on Team Haim after listening to their earlier EP, but the amount of hype they're getting across the board means the album deserves a listen. The album is pretty solid from a standpoint of what they're trying to accomplish - most of this album would fit in very well on 1980s mainstream radio. It's solidly retro while not feeling like it's trying to be or being retro for the sake of irony. At least for me, though, I haven't been clamoring for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" Whitney Houston revivals in my modern music, either. With good reviews and a lot of buzz, it's worth a listen, but it's really not for me.

Elf Power - Sunlight on the Moon: While many people hold up Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, or Apples in Stereo as their favorite Elephant 6 bands (assuming they have a favorite), Elf Power has always been mine. Their last few albums haven't really worked so well for me, though, but Sunlight on the Moon is definitely the most Elf Power-y Elf Power album I've heard in a while. Is it to the heights of Creatures or Walking With the Beggar Boys? No, not at all, but it's still quite good.

Blitzen Trapper - VII: I've enjoyed Blitzen Trapper for some time now, mostly impressed by their ability to jump genres so easily. VII is probably their most straight-rootsiest effort thus far, and it absolutely works because of how solid the songwriting is and how good the band has been for so long now. If "Black River Killer" was your jam like it was mine, this album's going to make you very happy.

Yuck - Glow and Behold: Yuck's self-titled debut was awesome. A great, grungy throwback album that kind of came out of nowhere, the band got some good buzz but the lead singer left the band. Glow and Behold is the first album since losing their singer, and...it's different. Is it still a 1990s alt-rock throwback? Absolutely. Does it have the same impact? I don't think so, but your mileage may vary. Proceed with caution.

Those Darlins - Blur the Lines: I'll be honest, I have a lot of trouble pinning down what Those Darlins are doing. Their first effort was fairly rootsy, the second more throwback girl band, this one...somewhere in the middle? Maybe? I don't know. There's not a standout song on first listen, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. It's an interesting release at that, but I'm withholding further judgement.

Quasi - Mole City: Quasi, with Sleater-Kinney/Wild Flag drummer Janet Weiss, is a strange band that tries a lot of interesting stuff. Sometimes it works, but, early on, this longish Mole City isn't grabbing me. I can't quite place what it is that isn't doing it for me (it might be the shorter songs that break things up), but I'm not so sure about this one.

Basia Bulat - Tall Tall Shadow: Basia Bulat burst onto my scene with "In the Night," from her debut album that I remember having a very difficult time finding at Newbury Comics when it came out. This album continues the quieter pacing that her second album started out on, and it's a very pleasant listen, for sure, but (especially with the glut of new releases) might get caught in the shuffle in the grand scheme of things. I just want more people to notice Bulat, though, so a new album is always a good thing.





Other albums of note:

* Deltron 3030 - Event II (Ken will be covering this soon, but it's pretty awesome)
* The Sadies - Internal Sounds

Highlights in Amazon's October mp3 Sale

Every month, Amazon.com puts up 100 albums for $5 each. Ones that may be of interest to readers:

* Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
* Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
* Simon & Garfunkel - The Best of Simon & Garfunkel
* Foster the People - Torches
* Depeche Mode - The Best of Depeche Mode
* Superchunk - I Hate Music
* Kanye West - Graduation
* The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
* First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
* Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes
* Bass Drum of Death - Bass Drum of Death
* AlunaGeorge - Body Music
* The Roots - Things Fall Apart
* Queens of the Stone Age - R
* Amos Lee - Amos Lee
* Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives
* Feist - The Reminder
* Dent May - Warm Blanket
* Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust - "Ambulancer"

A little more than a week before Lee Ranaldo's 2nd post-Sonic Youth album comes out, there's a new song to help build excitement before Last Night On Earth comes out. "Ambulancer" heads down the direction that Sonic Youth had been heading with A Thousand Leaves and Murray Street. It's equal parts post punk noise and psychedelic jam band rock. It's noisy while staying absolutely lovely, and might just be the perfect jumping on point for Deadhead friends you may have. Lee Ranaldo has always been Sonic Youth's George Harrison (less songs than the ones you get most of the credit, but with some of the most solid songs in the catalog) and Last Night On Earth is shaping up to be his All Things Must Pass. It's unfortunate this album will get less attention than Body/Head or Chelsea Light Moving because it lacks the potential for tabloid-like lyric analysis when it's shaping up to be such a solid release.

Last Night On Earth is due out on 10/18 on Matador Records. Listen to "Ambulancer" below, and find Lee Ranaldo and The Dust's current tour dates here. As always, head over to Lee's portion of the Sonic Youth website for more details.


Oct 8 — Hudson, NY — Club Helsinki
Oct 9 — Buffalo, NY — Tralf Music Hall
Oct 11 — Toronto, ON — Horseshoe Tavern
Oct 12 — Detroit, MI — Trinosophes
Oct 13 — Chicago, IL — The Empty Bottle
Oct 14 — Madison, WI — High Noon Saloon
Oct 15 — Minneapolis, MN — Triple Rock
Oct 17 — Iowa City, IA — Gabe’s
Oct 18 — Omaha, NE — The Waiting Room* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 19 — Lawrence, KC — The Bottleneck* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 20 — St. Louis, MO — The Firebird* (w Built to Spill)
Oct 22 — Nashville, TN — Exit/Inn 
Oct 23 — Asheville, NC — The Grey Eagle
Oct 25 — New York, NY — Terminal 5 w/ Kurt Vile
Nov 10 NL GRONINGEN – VERA
Nov 11 DE HAMBURG – KAMPNAGEL
Nov 12 DE BERLIN – TBC
Nov 13 DE COLOGNE – GEBAUDE 9
Nov 14 FR METZ – acoustic show at le musée de la cour d’or
Nov 15 FR METZ – CAVEAU DES TRINITAIRES – MUSIQUE VOLANTE FESTIVAL
Nov 16 Barcelona, Spain – Barts – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 17 CH LAUSANNE – LE ROMANDIE
Nov 18 FR FEYZIN – Epicerie Moderne
Nov 20 FR VILLENEUVE D’ASQ – FESTIVAL TOUR DE CHAUFFE AT LA FERME D’EN HAUT
Nov 21 UK LONDON – THE GARAGE
Nov 22 UK CAMBER SANDS – ATP FESTIVAL at Camber Sands
Nov 23 FR PARIS – Boulogne Billancourt BB MIX FESTIVAL
Nov 25 FR POITIERS – CONFORT MODERNE
Nov 26 FR TOURS – TEMPS MACHINE
Nov 27 Bordeaux, France – Rock School Barbey – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 28 Bilbao, Spain – Kafe Antzokia – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 29 Valencia, Spain – Wah Wah – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Nov 30 Madrid, Spain – La Riveria – PrimaveraSound Touring Party
Dec 6 — Portland, OR — Doug Fir Lounge
Dec 7 — Vancouver, BC — Biltmore Cabaret
Dec 8 — Seattle, WA — Barboza
Dec 11 — San Francisco, CA — The Chapel
Dec 13 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echo