The Anniversary

MP3: The Anniversary - Hold Me Tonight

MP3: The Anniversary - Let It Slip

I've had the Anniversary's "Devil On Our Side: Rarities & B-Sides" 2 disc collection for nearly a week now and I can't stop listening to it. Sure, they're one of my favourite bands and all of their current projects (White Flight, Dri, The Only Children) are making some of my current favourite jams, I'll always look back fondly at the Anniversary and am thankful that I FINALLY have a b-sides collection from them.

Even the biggest fan will find something new on this collection: disc one is full of 7 inch tracks, unreleased sessions when they were still the Broadcast, Untitled #1 & #2 with titles and demos of songs everyone fell in love with from "Designing A Nervous Breakdown". For those of us who really really liked "Your Majesty" and were excited about a new record, demos from those sessions are here. It's a shame that they broke up too, because as is evident on here, LP3 would have been fucking phenomenal.

I do have some questions. Where is "Tu-Whitt Tu-Whoo" from the Sub Pop single? The a-side is there. Why include "O' Lady Butterfly"? Yes, it's probably one of the best Berwanger songs written, but as far as I know the split with Superdrag it appeared on is still very much in print. And if it's not, why not include the other 2 songs that were on it? Where is "Death of the Season", a demo posted on fan site Anniversary Access from LP3 ages ago? Did they lose it? I have it if you'd like guys. And a minor question, why did "Lonesome Road" get retitled as "Lover"?

Still, none of those are that big a deal, especially to the casual listener. And I will do Vagrant one better in promoting this in posting a song from BOTH cds. "Hold Me Tonight" is a way old song that appeared on a tour 7 inch in the day, and "Let It Slip" is an LP3 demo. Maybe you'll dig on them, but if not, more for me!

{purchase the anniversary merchandise from blue collar distro}

I Choo Choo Choose You Joos

MP3: Silver Jews - Aloyisius Bluegrass Drummer

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from country bumpkin Matt Giordano, who I'd imagine from this post is enjoying some cool refreshments in the hard down south that is NYC. Yee haw (hick for Fuck yeah)!

With a new album out filled with country-rock goodness, D.C. Berman's sixth record continues his fine tradition of get the bumpkins heehawin' in literate ways. This record is meant to played on your Southern porch hiding in the shade from summer's humid sun with a glass of iced tea.

"Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea" is out now from Drag City.

{purchase silver jews recordings from drag city}

The Best Song Ever: You're No Rock N' Roll Fun

MP3: Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock N' Roll Fun

Hello friends and welcome to a new feature here on Fuck yeah! Go team! titled "The Best Song Ever". It's really self explanatory, this is where you'll read about our favourite songs and maybe find something new. While I enjoy doing this mp3 blog, lately it seemed to focus on new releases, which is no fun. I want this blog to representative of the music that myself, my friends and my guests love both past and present. So here is an attempt to tip the scales as they say. Enjoy.

I love and miss Sleater-Kinney. It seemed like their demise partly contributed to the lapse in rock and roll in modern music. They ended on a high note in 2005's "The Woods" on Sub Pop (also my #1 of '05), and while they are all contributing to music today with solo gigs, being a Jick/a Quasi or blogging, them and us can look back at a fulfilling career. One of their rock high points in my mind came from "All Hands On the Bad One", a Kill Rock Stars release, which featured many stand-outs but had a real classic in "You're No Rock N' Roll Fun". The song put to highlight everything that was special and enjoyable about this group and to this day still makes for fine inclusion on your mix tape.

Now where's that dvd you promised us?

Juvelen comes to NYC, city gets wet

MP3: Juvelen - They Don't Love You

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from promotin' Matt Giordano. He's up on his soapbox, so if you're in NYC area, you best be listening! Fuck yeah!

The almighty Juvelen is descending upon New York City this month to teach we Americans how pop music should be made.

Dates and specific set times:
06/21 - Mercury Lounge 7:30pm
06/28 - Rockwood Music Hall 12:30am
06/30 - The Annex 7:30pm
07/01 - Rehab 9:30pm

Girl Talk: Feed the mother fucking Animals

MP3: Girl Talk - Set It Off

MP3: Girl Talk - No Pause

Girl Talk released the pay as you please download of "Feed the Animals" this morning. As of this moment I don't like it better than "Night Rippers", but I'm still listening to it. He certainly wasn't lying when he said that it would be more seemless and full of more popular music, but in some ways that works against it. I see it taking a couple of listens, but it's still an expected shit-ton of fun. Plus, anything that samples Dexy's Midnight Runners' "Come On Eileen" and Heart's "Magic Man" is cool with me. Fuck yeah.

GET IT HERE

"Feed the Animals" is out now in digital form on Illegal Art. Physical release in September.

Anthem In

MP3: Anthem In - Moving On

MP3: Anthem In - Down

Very nice and catchy rock from Brooklyn's Anthem In, a lot like old Knapsack/Jealous Sound, but it sounds fresh too. Worth your time.

Video for "Down":


"Anthem In" is released June 24th from Quiet/Loud Records.

Atlas Sound virtual 7 inch

MP3: Atlas Sound - Balcony

MP3: Atlas Sound - Canal

Didn't really catch onto the whole Atlas Sound thing because I thought Deerhunter was rubbish. However, I really am digging their new stuff so I decided to give the whole thing a shot. Along comes this, "Amsterdam MIDI", a virtual 7 inch posted on the DH blog which I think is a great idea. It's pretty good, but considering it was a "hotel bedtime recording", there's not much to judge it on. That's fine. I like it.

The Futureheads

MP3: The Futureheads - This Is Not the World

Not usually a fan of brit-rock, but I got a copy of the new Futureheads record "This Is Not the World" and I sorta dig on it. It's entertaining to say the least, a little bit punk and a lot of fun. Enjoy the title track.

o hello, It's Tilly and the Wall.

MP3: Tilly and the Wall - Pot Kettle Black

MP3: Tilly and the Wall - Jumbler

Next week sees the release of Tilly and the Wall's "o", the 3rd in their catalogue and the closest they've gotten to recapturing the magic from their debut 2004's "Wild Like Children". Along the way, they seemed to lose the promise they were bursting with, delivering a lackluster sophomore album and completely unlistenable 7 inch single in "Beat Control", so there were little expectations in "o", which happens to work in their favour. Forging through the shit storm, the band deliver a strong, mature sounding effort that almost gets it, with only a few predictable bumps along the way.

Things don't fully kick up until the second song and the album's stand out, "Pot Kettle Black", an example of the right direction for the band to go in. It keeps their tapping and infectious vocals on top of hard hitting drums and a loud, fucking bad ass guitar line. From there, we never reach that high point again, but luckily it fluctuates very little. "Jumbler" and "Dust Me Off" keep things going, and every now and then it trips up, with messes like "Falling Without Knowing", which attempts to dream and float, but ends up floating out of interest, and the absolute rubbish-fest of "Too Excited", a mess of studio dicking around that someone made the mistake of translating into a song.

Of course, that's just looking at the music. Lyrically, this turns into a whole different review. "o"'s nostalgia trip of lost tall grass, high school cattiness and ice cream is a double edged sword: it's enough to rope in listeners with it's charm, but not enough to keep them. As you get through each song, you look for some maturity in the lyrics but it's just not there, which doesn't seem right for a band well into their 3rd album. Musically, they've finally found their sound, mashed between the classic tap dancing and bass and drums rock. Lyrically, we're all still waiting for them to grow up.

"o" is released June 17th from Team Love.

{purchase tilly and the wall recordings from saddle creek}

Verve Remixed 4

MP3: Marlena Shaw - California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent remix)

MP3: Ella Fitzgerald - I Get A Kick Out Of You (Cinematic Orchestra remix)

In the past, I've noticed these Verve Remixed series sticking out on the shelves, but personally had little interest in them. Along comes volume 4 in the mail and can say that it was surprisingly enjoyable. Granted, the source material is of more interest to me and I was luckily familiar with some of the remixers.

Everyone loves jazz and everyone loves beats, so the match makes much sense. The compilation is great way to discover artists from both spectrums and some improve upon the originals. The 2 I think do that best, I've included here. If you were like me and a little weary about these things, give these tracks a shot and see if you still feel the same way.

Sony, I want my ten dollars back.

MP3: MGMT - Time to Pretend

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from angry Matt Giordano. Will he get a refund, Sony?

I guess the heat must be getting to me, because I just went out and bought that MGMT record based on the single, which is quite enjoyable. So I've decided to give that up here. However, that's all this album has going for it. Nothing else sticks, it's like pissing into outer space. For an instant you might enjoy it all, but after the fifth song, "Kids", it just becomes insipid beyond belief. Sony music should offer rebates for releasing such utter shit like this. Boo-urns.

Glass Candy

MP3: Glass Candy - Geto Boys

Just a quick one today: I elect that "Geto Boys" by Glass Candy be the song of the summer. It's been quite fresh on these ears as of late.

The Jealous Girlfriends

MP3: The Jealous Girlfriends - Secret Identity

MP3: The Jealous Girlfriends - Roboxulla

I first discovered The Jealous Girlfriends almost a year ago, when they played a gig in CT with a mutual friend of ours, and I left with a 7 inch in hand feeling very impressed and happy to experience something so audibly fulfilling. Cut to a couple of weeks back, and I'm at Music Saves in Cleveland picking up their self titled album in the used bin, saving it for the train ride home. Coming through my headphones was something very familiar to that moment at the show so many months back and it was like time had never moved forward so quickly.

This record is rock and pop music at it's very finest, with two very capable front people of the two different sexes not speaking for either of their genders: they are simply two people who are purely talented and putting it all on display (what I mean to say is, they shouldn't be judged as "that band with girl in it" or "that band with the dude singer" or whatever). Such labels are useless, and if you read too much into this album you might miss the point completely: of course it's honest and meaningful, but it can also be turned up loud to blast in your car speakers during this already impossibly hot summer or enjoyed with some tea on the porch in the evening. What you have here is smart songwriting that can appeal to most anyone with half a brain and passable musical taste. I am quite certain you will be hearing more from this band in the years to come, and I'm looking forward to it with open arms and ears.

"The Jealous Girlfriends" is out now from Good Fences.

{purchase the jealous girlfriends recordings from insound}

Steinski

MP3: Steinski - The Payoff Mix

For people who aren't in the know such as myself, this mother fucker came out of nowhere: WRONG! Steinski has been at it since '83 and killing ever since.

The song title is no joke: it really does pay off, as does this entire 83-06 retrospective release, from it's hours of entertainment right down to the beautiful 2 cd packaging. It's well worth going to this link to read his very intersting bio, but when it comes down to it hear some original mash ups that still sound fresh and stand the test of time: I guarantee it is 99.9% better than the mash ups you're rocking.

"What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective" is out now from Illegal Art.

{stream the retrospective from fanatic promotion}
{purchase the steinski retrospective from illegal art}

FUCK YEAH?: Melvins

MP3: Melvins - Nude With Boots

I don't know what happened between recordings, but if "Nude With Boots", the title track released earlier this week from the upcoming Melvins lp is any indication, we're in for something different from the band.

Not that it's shocking: these duders change it up in some way all the time, and since taking Big Business into camp with (A) Senile Animal in 2006 it's only gotten better. This song might be fucking weird as all hell, but it still fucking slaughters and pisses on your record collection. Looking forward to the record on tour to follow boys!

"Nude With Boots" is out July 8th from Ipecac Recordings.

TOUR: (7-16 through 8-20 with Big Business)
06-16 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall (Biafra Five-O)
06-17 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall (Biafra Five-O)
07-16 Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
07-17 Sacramento, CA - The Boardwalk
07-18 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
07-19 Reno, NV - Club Underground
07-21 Modesto, CA - Fat Cat
07-26 Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
07-29 Teton Village, WY - Mangy Moose
07-31 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
08-03 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
08-04 Chicago, IL - Double Door
08-05 Detroit, MI - Small's
08-06 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
08-07 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
08-09 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
08-10 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
08-12 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
08-13 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
08-15 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
08-16 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
08-17 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
08-18 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
08-20 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack

FUCK YEAH: Dwarves

MP3: Dwarves - Back Seat Of My Car
MP3: Dwarves - Fuck You Up and Get High
MP3: Dwarves - Astro Boy

NOTE: Today's FUCK YEAH! contribution comes from Mr. blood, guts & pussy himself: Matt Giordano. Fun fact: he is in fact not a dwarf in height, only at heart... where it counts!

The Dwarves are one of the greatest punk bands ever, but have never really garnered the massive accolades bands like the Ramones, Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys. It's always been quite a shame, since their 1990 Sub Pop breakthrough album Blood Guts & Pussy ranks among the five best of the genre. At a blinding speed and spewing more punk ethos than the kids in the early 80s vomiting on Camden High Street, the Dwarves shot a fresh fix in the veins of the mohawked, fucking them up and getting them high.

{purchase dwarves merchandise from the band}

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy for everyone to see!

MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - So Everyone

MP3: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - So Everyone (demo)

Who would've thought the new Bonnie 'Prince' Billy record ("Lie Down in the Light") would be so darned upbeat?

Well, I suppose there was a hint: last year's "Ask Forgiveness"covers opus was very sunny, and the one Oldham original was quite bouncy, so the signs were indeed there. Still, when hearing LDITL was recorded at the same place as fan-favourite "Master and Everyone", I very much expected a similiar tone; not so much. Drag City quietly released a demo to tease in "So Everyone", which possibly suggests a different direction, but in the end we are given a gift: a true summer record from Will Oldham. "Lie Down In the Light" is the perfect soundtrack for afternoon drives to the lake with baby in the passenger seat, hand in hand.

Now let's hope that sometime soon we can get a demos album, similiar to "Wai Notes", the demos from "The Letting Go". What do you say, Drag City?