Radiohead The King Of Limbs From The Basement

In case you missed it, Radiohead gave the world another free gift last week in the form of a live performance streaming in it's entirety on YouTube. It features the band playing all eight tracks from the underrated [I never thought I would be saying that about a Radiohead album] The King of Limbs as well as "Staircase" and "The Daily Mail". The performance is available for a limited time so don't miss out! Watch it after the jump.

New Track Rundown

Holy smokes! Since, the last time we ran through the internet’s latest tracks, there has been a buffet of jams released from my most anticipated albums. Through a clever tweeting campaign, St. Vincent has launched the first single from Strange Mercy, “Surgeon”, into the blogosphere. Girls show that they will not shy away from their Pink Floyd influence on the sprawling “Vomit”. The biggest story, however, might be the addictive “Midnight City”, the first single from M83’s upcoming record, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Dum Dum Girls' epic slow jam “Coming Down” has me speechless as far as a band progressing and maturing in a short amount of time. The Drums continue their streak of writing irresistible pop gems with “Money”. “Rifle Eyesite” is apparently the album opener from Cymbals Eat Guitars latest, Lenses Alien. That is one hell of a way to open an album! Scotland’s We Were Promised Jetpacks display their penchant for epic songwriting brimming with emotion on “Act on Impulse”. To close things out are The Shakes with “You Ain’t Alone”. A big shout out goes to Aquarium Drunkard for discovering that one. It is one of the finest soul/R&B revival songs I have ever heard. All these can be found below alongside a whole heap of other great tunes.

Grass is Green Hammer Away at Wadzilla

There was a period of time last year where I was going to a basement show at least once a week. One of my favorite DIY venues was Wadzilla Mansion. It was subsequently shutdown since it was operating as a venue without the necessary permits. On July 23, 2011, I had the chance to once again experience an intimate performance at the excellent DIY spot when Grass is Green and Hammer No More the Fingers treated the crowd to some mathy alternative jams.

Torche Mean Business at The Middle East

I feel like solid metal shows are getting fewer and fewer in Boston these days. That’s why I jumped on the opportunity to see Helms Alee, Big Business, and Torche when they came to the Middle East in Cambridge, MA on July 21, 2010. All three bands are all signed to Hydra Head, a label that has a never-ending streak of releasing the most creative records in heavy music. I have written about Torche on this website numerous times and they never disappoint. Helms Alee and Big Business both have new releases that have more than exceeded my expectations. Together, these bands put on a memorable show of earsplitting goodness.

The Way You Wish You Could Watch Moonface at Great Scott

Moonface’s album Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped is extremely hit or miss. An album comprised of vocals, drum machines, and synth isn’t exactly most peoples’ thing. I am a fan of the weird, the strange, the peculiar and thus had no probably being immersed in the rich organ-centric sound. I also never miss a chance to see a Spencer Krug project (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) when it comes to town. On July 19, 2011, I had my first Moonface experience at Great Scott in Boston, MA and it was quite a memorable one.

New Track Rundown

It’s time once again to dive into the vast sea of music available on the web with a new track rundown. The first track comes from garage rock mastermind Ty Segall. “Goodbye Bread” is the title track of his new album and showcases his more refined approach to songwriting which even invokes the brilliant simplicity of The Beatles. The album’s cover is featured above and I highly recommend picking it up, especially on vinyl. The warm sounds featured within are meant to be played from a turntable.

Bill Callahan Quietly Rocks Brighton Music Hall

Bill Callahan has been one of my favorite singer/songwriters since his days performing as Smog. His material under his actual name has gotten better and better culminating in his 2011 album, Apocalypse. It stands as one of the most creative and moving releases this year. There was no way that I was going to miss his performance at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA on July 10, 2011. It would have been really depressing if I missed the show. Usually if I’m staying home, my go-to activity is listening to Bill Callahan and Smog records on vinyl. Thankfully, I got my ticket to the sold out show in advance and was able to catch the stirring performance.

Out from the Inbox: 10 Bands That Didn’t Make Me Want to Tear Out My Eardrums

I once again combed through the musical wasteland that comprises my inbox and found a few hidden treasures. I wish PR companies actually read my blog or at least skimmed through it so they would know that I am not going to write about their shitty honky-tonk country band. Going through hundreds of emails of bands trying to get your attention inevitably sends you on an emotional roller coaster. Just when you think their is no hope for music, you get hit with something that completely amazes you. These are the 10 bands that didn’t make me want to tear out my eardrums.

Mid-Year Report

It's already July and it seems like the first half of the year went by in a flash. It's time to look back at the last six months and examine the albums that had the biggest impact on me. Narrowing the list down to 20 was harder than I thought it would be as 2011 has been an exceptionally good year for music. The year has been full of surprises both good and bad. I never could have predicted half the bands and albums that appear in the list below.

Royale Gets Fucked Up

Last time I saw Fucked Up was at the Middle East Upstairs and they put on one of the craziest shows I had ever seen. At one point, lead singer Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham tried to hang on a pipe that was attached to the ceiling and ended up ripping in down. With such a notorious live show, you never know what’s going to happen and that’s why I made sure to catch their performance at Royale in Boston, MA on June 24, 2011. With buzzworthy openers JEFF the Brotherhood and Iceage in tow, it was one that no one should have missed.