Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Tidings of Joy and MP3s Greetings to everyone who came here looking for M.I.A. and Diplo's bootleg masterpiece "Piracy Funds Terrorism."  (I didn't know there were that many hiphop NPR listeners out there.)  Thanks for stopping by.  I don't know if the link I used in the previous story still works, but XL has put together a minisite with a few of the PFT songs.  You can probably find a torrent file, if you're crafty.  Okay, fine.  It's here.   But wait - don't just grab your mp3s and leave.  There's lots of good music out there, now and in the near future.  Check these artists out: 1)   Gorillaz.  Oh my god.  I heard the new song "Feel Good Inc." a few weeks ago and couldn't get it out of my head.  Then I downloaded it (once iTunes had it) and I couldn't stop playing it for a week.  The producer, Danger Mouse, will be familiar to those of you who gobbled up the Grey Album, his mash-up of the Beatles and Jay-Z.  If none of this is ringing a bell, go get the Grey Album now.  Okay.  Now, that new song is also in the latest iTunes commercial, but forget that.  The song itself is brilliance.  That "Low Rider" bass line, the way Damon Albarn's little songwriter piece and the breakbeat work with each other, the whole stop-start switching-radio-stations feel, the crazy rap by the kids from De La Soul.  It's your summer single, kids.   Go get it.  2)   Sleater-Kinney's new album will blow the roof off your little crib.  After ten years, they've gotten over any jitters and have decided to flat-out take over the world.  Everything roars on their new album.  The guitars roar.  The drums roar.  Feedback roars like an uninvited guest in between the notes.  Corin Tucker roars in her wild-eyed way, but it's got more force this time, more even than her stellar performance on "One Beat."  She's all over the place, and in complete control.  Check out a sample of the eleven-minute freakout "Let's Call It Love" here. Want more?  There's a free download of "Entertain" here (thanks to Audiofile.)  There's a nice interview in the new Magnet magazine, conducted by some summer intern named Eddie Vedder.  Wait for the album to drop May 24th.  3)   The Dave Matthews Band has a new album out.  No, I'm just kidding.  I don't care, and no one else should either.  DMB makes music for Pier One stores and people who think Phish was too edgy. 4)   Audioslave, the little supergroup that could, is releasing their second album, but the real news is their concerts.  They're going to be trying out Rage and Soundgarden songs for the first time this summer.  I'm so excited I'm shaking.  Imagine: Chris Cornell tearing into songs like "Wake Up" or "War Within a Breath."  Or alternately, imagine Tom Morello and the crew digging their claws into "Rusty Cage" or "Superunknown."  Or "Jesus Christ Pose."  Mmmmm...  I just fell out of my chair. You may have heard that they played Havana recently.  In the news reports, they mentioned one new number that the band has been trying out - "Killing in the Name Of."  The news articles were careful to only use part of the repeated line - "I won't do what you tell me."  But you know the rest of the words, don't you?  Anyway, go check out their summer shows.  You won't regret it.  The boys in the band have just realized that they are more than the sum of their parts, and they're starting to act like it. 5)  Nine Inch Nails.  Have I talked about the new NIN album yet?  Oh, my goodness.  It's not a double album!  See, it's good news already.  But more to the point, Reznor's got his act back together.  The new stuff is tight, loud, focused, and hard like a hammer in the temple.  If you haven't heard "The Hand that Feeds" (rumored to be an anti-Bush song) yet, go check it out.   Check out the video, even.   Then get the rest of the album.  This is the album to play when you have to demolish the shed in your backyard, and you don't care if your neighbors complain about the noise.  See?  There's lots of good stuff out there.  Y'all come back now, hear? 8:19:59 PM     Speak up!  []