The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #809

Low - Transmission (Live)

A stunning Joy Division cover (circa 1996).

Visit Low on MySpace.

MP3: Low - Transmission (Live)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #621

Low - Dinosaur Act (Live @ VPRO)

A stunning take on the tune (dating back to autumn of '00).

Visit Low at their official site.

MP3: Low - Dinosaur Act (Live @ VPRO)

Radiohead Tribute Festival Takes Shape

At Ease explains: *The Daydream Festival (June 12) in Barcelona, Spain is a tribute to Radiohead, with artists which have influenced Radiohead and the other way around. Allegedly, the band even handpicked a number of the acts playing the festival at Parc del Fòrum Auditorium.*

In addition to Radiohead, expect to see:

Bat For Lashes
Low
Clinic
Liars
Modeselektor

Purchase tickets to the event here.

MP3: Low - Breaker

Low Reveals Spring Tour Of UK

Catch the trio at:

April 12: Norwich, UK - Arts Centre
April 14: Bristol, UK - Thekla Social
April 15, Portsmouth, UK - Wedgewood Rooms
April 16: Brighton, UK - St. George's Church
April 17: Leeds, UK - City Varieties
April 18: Gateshead, UK - Sage
April 19: London, UK - Union Chapel

Learn more about Low here.

MP3: Low - Monkey (Fog Remix)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #338

Low - Santa's Coming Over (live)

Have yourself a Merry Slowcore Xmas!

Learn more about Low at their official site.

MP3: Low - Santa's Coming Over (live)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #307

Low - Below & Above (Live On KCRW)

This one dates back to 1995.

Download the band's entire set here.

Learn more about Low at their official site.

MP3: Low - Below & Above (Live On KCRW)

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #249

Low - See Through (Live On KCRW)

All the way back to 1995!

Learn more about Low here.

Listen to KCRW at the station's official site.

MP3: Low - See Through (Live On KCRW)

New Low Video: Love It Or Hate It?

Low's latest LP, Drums & Guns, is a near-perfect 'slowcore whirlwind', if you will. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since its release ealier this year. Now comes their new video for 'Hatchet' (Optimimi version), the third track lifted from Drums & Guns. Apparently the tune's been remixed for single's sake (the album version of the tune can be found below the YouTube clip). This time around the band has chosen to go the animated route, thanks to some help from famed political cartoonist, Scott Bateman (his official site can be found here). Love it or hate it?


MP3: Low - Hatchet

WOXY Unveils Photos From Sign-In Wall

Who do you think is the most creative with their personal graffiti?

Low:
Jenny Lewis:

The National:

... or Sondre Lerche?

Check out all the rest here on WOXY's Flickr page. LISTEN to WOXY, one of the best indie stations around, at WOXY.com

MP3: Jenny Lewis - Fernando (live) (via Live Music Blog)

Low Still Drumming Away

In case you aren't going to Ryan Adams or Teitur tomorrow, I highly suggest attending the Low gig at Bowery Ballroom.

They're probably one of the most underrated bands in recent history and put on an amazing live show! If anyone recalls, they even got to open up for Radiohead 2 nights at MSG back in '03 when Supergrass cancelled last minute. Probably not the highlight of their career, but it definitely converted me into a big fan of the Minnesotans.

News just dropped that their gazillionth album will be titled Drums & Guns and will be out in late March via Subpop. Can't wait!

In the meantime, enjoy this Low classic (from their last LP): 'Monkey' (Fog remix)

bandwagon-jumping-type end-of-year-roundup thingymajig :: part the second

Okay. So I'm back with some more comments on what I thought might have been some good music from last year. You will probably disagree. In fact, I hope you do! So there! Go and listen to your Portugal. The Man. records, see if I care!

Mercury Rev - Secret for a Song (yousendit)

I loved The Secret Migration, another wonderful, ethereal experience from Mercury Rev. I have the same kind of otherworldly sensation from these guys that I do from Sigur Ros; and while this record may not hold up to the giddy heights of All is Dream, and there may be no standout track like Goddess on a Highway, this is certainly, to my mind, a more coherent whole than Deserter's Songs. The first record I bought in '05, and certainly one of the most well-played.

------------------------

King Creosote - 678 (yousendit)

No, not a folk-rock-bastard-cut-down-cover-version of Steps' 5-6-7-8, but a rather wonderful, plaintive melody from the King's awesometacular, witty, whimsical, and thoroughly beautiful KC Rules OK! Another Fifer, King Creosote (aka Kenny) used to run (The Best) music store in town, before it went, erm, bust, because the music he sold was much better than the numpties in this town (who'd rather go to the cheap CDs in Tesco) realised. Now leader of the mighty Fence Collective, you wouldn't go wrong in acquainting yourself with his work.

------------------------

The Go! Team - Junior Kickstart (yousendit)

Maybe it's just been a great year in British music, or maybe I'm just a nationalistic twat. But today I'm posting this Brighton band's homage to 80's kid's motorbike-timetrial show Junior Kickstart (presented, fact fans, by Peter Purves, companion to the original Doctor Who, that silver haired devil, William Hartnell!). But I love Thunder, Lightning, Strike; I love the title, I love the big cat on the cover, I love the fun, and most of all, I love the music. It's a tremendous, life-affirming, big-trumpets-and-bigger-ideas example of everything that's good about music.

Did I say I like this band?

------------------------

Low - Cue the Strings

I wasn't going to post this, 'cos I thought I should stick to three songs, and for some reason thought that The Great Destroyer was an '04 record; but no! According to iTunes it was released in January. So that's okay then.

I'd never heard of Low before I bought The Great Destroyer; it was one of those impulse buys from reviews. And it's one of the best things I bought all year. Songs like California (an up/downbeat, almost poppy number) reign supreme at the top of my 'most played' in iTunes, while the absurdity of Monkey (Tonight you will be mine / Tonight the Monkey dies), set against a rich, absorbing and almost threatening musical backdrop fills me with glee with every listen; and since buying this record I've been investing heavily in Low's back catalogue. Cue the Strings is more in keeping with the rest of the album, and perhaps with the rest of their output, a downbeat, yet utterly uplifting piece of music with an almost hymnal quality. Along with The Secret Migration, this is one of the real highlights of 2005 as a musical year.

Back tomorrow. Perhaps.

------------------------

Megaupload links (in case the yousendit ones have expired):

Mercury Rev - Secret for a Song
King Creosote - 678
The Go! Team - Junior Kickstart
Low - Cue the Strings