Aereogramme = done

The writing was probably on the wall earlier this year – only it was written in invisible ink – when Aereogramme cancelled a few U.S. tour dates with The Twilight Sad. Perhaps there really were some visa problems that prevented the Scottish noisemakers from playing all the dates on their spring tour, but with the recent announcement by the band that they are finished, one has to wonder.

With three full lengths to their credit, Aereogramme were like Mogwai’s louder, little brother and did something far more often than Mogwai ever did — included vocals, prominently, in their songs. I had the chance to witness a show in Columbus, Ohio on April 1, 2003 (I truly thought the concert announcement was an April Fool’s joke being played on me) and it was one of those shows that, after it was over, I was sure I had witnessed something special and something I’d be able to tell my kids about when they grew up (“Yes kids, I DID see Aereogramme play to just a handful of people in a nice, intimate setting and that’s why your old man can’t hear you so well, even this many years later. They were LOUD.”) Alas, it was not meant to be despite the fact that Aereogramme released one of my favorites of 2007, My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go, in February (read my review here).

In a note to fans, Aereogramme blames their death on “the never ending financial struggle coupled with an almost superhuman ability to dodge the zeitgeist”. The band will honor it’s touring commitments with a handful of shows between now and August in Scotland (supporting Biffy Clyro) and Germany.

If you never had the chance to see Aereogramme, this fantastic website called Fabchannel has a full 2005 Aereogramme show available for your viewing pleasure.

Ex-Granddaddy guitarist to tour with Menomena

You probably don’t know the name All Smiles yet unless you’re a die-hard Granddaddy fan, but that’s the name of ex-Granddaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild’s new band. All Smiles’ debut, Ten Readings of a Warning, hit stores last week and Granddaddy fans shouldn’t be terribly surprised by the music Fairchild creates – quirky pop with a Flaming Lips influence.

Check out the video for “Moth in a Cloud of Smoke” (Windows Media) (Quicktime) (MP4)

Continue reading “Ex-Granddaddy guitarist to tour with Menomena”

Priestbird – stream the new album, download the first single, watch the video

I overlooked a new release this week in the “What are you buying?” post. Priestbird (the artists formerly known as Tarantula AD) released the trippy In Your Time today. If you can, imagine mid-70s Pink Floyd recording an album of metal tunes out in the California desert with Josh Homme twisting the knobs.

“But Chip,” you’re saying, “I’ve never heard of Priestbird. I’m not going to blindly go buy this CD even though your description of the band’s music sounds killer. Is there any place I can sample music for myself?” I’m glad you asked. Kemado Records and Priestbird are streaming In Your Time in it’s entirety here (note: I can’t get the streming player to open in Firefox but it seems to work in Internet Explorer).

If you don’t have time to stream the whole album, you can also download the first single from the album – “Seasons of the Sun” (MP3) . Continue reading “Priestbird – stream the new album, download the first single, watch the video”

Gruff Rhys – Candylion

Gruff Rhys - CandylionGruff Rhys – Candylion (Team Love Records)
By Eric Rottmayer

I would never claim to be a Super Furry Animals fan. In fact, you might say that I passed quick judgement on the Welsh superstars after only hearing a couple of songs here and there. Unfortunately, I missed out on an obvious diamond in the super furry rough, lead-singer and songwriter Gruff Rhys. I even remember hearing his unforgettable name a few years back when he released his first solo album, Yr Atal Genhedlaeth, but his music still flew far above my head. So a few months ago I was randomly watching music videos on YouTube, as we all do, and I came across the song and video for “Candylion”, the title track and single from Rhys’ most recent solo effort.

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When interviews go bad

Found this over on the Blind Melon message board. Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon is being interviewed on-air in a TV studio and doesn’t take kindly to the questions being asked. Based on things Shannon says during the interview, it sounds like the interviewer had spoken to the band before going on air, had discussed with them the questions he was going to ask, and then once the cameras went on, went with a whole new line of questioning. Now, having interviewed Shannon myself a few times and knowing him a little bit better than the average rock journalist, I know that he didn’t really like to be asked about his connection with Guns N’ Roses. Yes, Blind Melon got a break when Shannon appeared in GN’R’s “Don’t Cry” video, but Shannon wanted Blind Melon to stand on their own merits – not as “the band with the singer who was in a Guns N’ Roses video”.

If you’ve got links to other on-air videos that go bad, post ’em in the comments section.