More music picks for your Monday. If you like what you hear, use the links provided to snag it for yourself from Amazon. Doing so through us gives us kickbacks, and those help pay for stuff like more bandwidth. And also so we can buy more music.
Just note: any prices we quote are accurate as of when this post goes up.
The new album from Amanda Palmer and her Grand Theft Orchestra is finally becoming available to the general public this week. I was a Kickstarter backer of her sprawling project and got my physical CD the other day but haven’t had a chance to delve as much as I want to yet. I will say this: I never was a fan of the music prior to Theatre is Evil. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was but when it was Dresden Dolls or her previous solo stuff–it just didn’t work for me. That being said, where the music didn’t work the thing I’ve always respected and been impressed by from jump was her as an artist. She knows how to cultivate a following, she knows how to work a crowd and she knows What the Hell She is Doing. So yeah, like the music or not, you’ve got to at least give her that. Plus, even before Theatre, I had a quote from her taped up on my monitor. So.
With that all being said, with this new album everything I’ve heard so far I like a lot. The music video for “The Killing Type” just hit and while it’s spiffy and all, I’ll opt for a live track before a music video. So here’s her and her army performing it at the Los Angeles Kickstarter party, right after the break…
[ad#shortpost]
The album becomes available tomorrow–the MP3 Download is just $6.99 from Amazon. And if you don’t back her Kickstarters, you should. The end physical products you get are a study in how to properly do end physical products.
Next, well, I’m a sucker for strings. And I do love some jazz. So the Polish group Jurek Jagoda Trio is an easy sell with me. Here they are with a live performance at a Blue Note in 2010. “Two Sides of Something.”
No MP3 appears to be available stateside. But the CD Songs Without Words is available from Amazon at import prices.
The new album from The XX hits this week as well, Coexist. Now, this is not a track from the album but apparently a bonus iTunes track. I’ll let you best judge how to take care of that if you purchase from Amazon.
The CD and the MP3 are the same price–$9.99–so I generally default to the CD in such instances.
Following that is the track “Eleven Continents” by RF & Lili De La Mora, the title track of their 2007 album. The RF is Ryan Francesconi and I guess they named themselves as they did because “Francesconi & De La Mora” might sound too much like a law firm. The MP3 version of the album is almost half the price of the CD.
Next we have a most excellent Johnny Cash cover from one-person band Universal Hall Pass, otherwise known as Melissa Kaplan. I’m honestly not sure if this was ever officially released…it doesn’t appear to be on any of her CDs. Regardless, it’s a badass reworking:
Regardless if this track, the rest of their stuff can be found at Amazon here.
Lastly, we have another one person band out of London. It’s the caps key enhanced 4 CiTieS, which is basically Mariano Latorre and a home studio. I’m always jealous of one man (or woman) bands. You get to create all manner of awesome noises by yourself. Me, I’m lucky I can string words together. Regardless, he’s got an album coming out and this is from his last EP. It’s “Quiet Bullets.”
According to his SoundCloud page, he’s looking for actual bandmates. Find his official site here.
And for additional songs and the working notes for this week, you can check out my Spotify playlist here.
Related posts:
The Sound Board #20: She’s Got a Ticket to Ride and She’s Selling It On eBay
Friday Misc. Mayhem: Roberta, Downton and the Yakuza
Your Cyber Monday Morning Mental Sorbet: 5 Retro Items You Probably Won’t Find on Sale
Music Monday: Branford Marsalis Quartet, Edison Chair, Cowboy Junkies & More…
Word-A-Week Vocabulary Vlog #43: Inextricable
Headsup: Of Cowboys, Killers and Karloff
Thanks guys and great post!
Glad I read this. Of course admiration to anyone who chooses to turn the music biz on it’s ear (not a hard task nowadays, but admirable none-the-less), but I thought I was the only one that just could not get into Amanda Palmer or the Dresdens, aside from one track (“Leeds United”). I’ll have to give the new record a shot. Wonderful as always, Widge.
I knew and liked the solo stuff, but was almost entirely unfamiliar with Dresden, when I saw the Dresden dolls on their tour last fall. It was one of the most electrifying live shows I’ve ever seen- not just because they make an unbelievable amount of noise for two people, but because they play with an almost visible connection to each other, such an intense musical chemistry that you can’t help getting swept up in the show- not to mention that the house was packed with what were obviously intensely devoted fans who sported more corsets, eyeliner, and tiny top hats than I’d seen anywhere outside of Dragon*Con (and that was just the guys!) It was damn impressive. We’re going to see AP this weekend, and if it’s anywhere near as good as the Dolls show it will be a fantastic evening.