silence is a rhythm too

Friday 9/12
A busy day for news items...

RIP Johnny Cash

RIP John Ritter. I have to say that news of Johnny Cash wasn't surprising, due to his health probs of late. This one is another matter tho'...

Echo & The Bunnymen turn 25, and finally give me what I want - remastered reissues of the first 5 albums, all with extra tracks. I've haven't ever bought any of them on CD (although I did get the box set a year or two back) so I'm psyched. No release date has been given...

I read that Jimi Cauty - formerly one half of 80's -90's dance legends The KLF has recorded an EP with his art collective / music group The Blacksmoke Organisation. Entitled Fuck The Fucking Fuckers it's a concept EP, the concept being "fuck America basically, and fuck weapons of mass destruction." Woo-hoo!

Tommy Chong has been sentenced to 9 months in jail for selling bongs. You'd think that with all of these terrorists running around the Attorney General's office would have better ways to spend their time and my tax money. He admitted to once having a drug problem, but claims to have beaten it by redirecting his energy to salsa dancing. Hmmm, wonder if that would work for me?

Stereolab are releasing a 5 song EP (Instant 0 In The Universe) of new material on Oct.7. The first new music since the death of Mary Hansen, there are some audio samples up at the band's website.


Thurday 9/11
Another date to mark on your calendar is September 30 - the date that The DFA's Compilation #1 hits stores. A CD release only, it will feature tracks from The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, Black Dice and The Juan Maclean. Sure, I probably own most of the tracks already, but I still gots ta have it! A highly anticipated release from the hippest label around right now.

Meet Brianna, 12 year old illegal file sharer, prosecuted by the RIAA, and who paid $2000 to settle out of court.

HERE is Billboard's take on the Pixies reunion.


Wednesday 9/10
According to this story from Pitchfork, The Pixies reunion that has had the internet buzzing all year will be happening next year, with a tour in April 2004, and maybe even an album. We shall see if it actually pans out!

Talkingheads fans rejoice; Here is a new 3 CD / 1 DVD box set, featuring 5 previously unreleased tracks!!! Picked by all four members of the band. Mark November 11th on your calendar.

Electro-sleaze superstar Peaches has a new album coming out, and a whole new look to go with it. Can you say "bearded lady"? Click the link for some very entertaining interactive fun...

Dizzee Rascal has won the UK's Mercury Prize for best album of the year. There's been a huge amount of hype about this record, so I hope to see it released in the US some day. Also newsworthy, Marilyn Manson was cleared of the charges in the "crotch-on-security guard's head" matter. Duh.

The worlds of sci-fi & music collide in this report of the deepest musical note ever recorded in outer space. FYI, it's a b-flat one million billion times deeper than can be heard by humans .It was recorded at a black hole and it's estimated that it has been sounding for 2.5 billion years.


Tuesday 9/9
Updated the New Releases page today.

Pepe Deluxe released their debut Super Sound four years ago. Their licensing of the track Woman In Blue for a Levi's ad was what got them noticed, and the album achieved some success. It was a good mix of instrumental hip hop, funky samples and big beat-y tracks. The Finnish duo have finally released the follow-up, Beatitude, and after a few weeks of listening, it's got my attention. It has elements of what they did on their debut, like on opening track Just let Go, but it also encompasses a broader range of styles this time around. Ask For A Kiss is a crunker take on Bent's blissed out sound, and a lot of the tracks are now full on vocal collaborations; First Goodbye is a summery pop tune, very Midnight Cowboy with it's strings and harmonicas. Black Cadillac is a crazy, twangy Elvis-in-Vegas type number. Salami Fever, the first single, is Edgar Winters' Frankenstein, reconstructed over phat hip hop beats with crazed scratching. In between it takes in bit of ambience (A Moment In Black & White), the Middle East (Numa), folk-rock (Real Simple), '60's go-go music (Daddy's Blazin' BBQ) and everything else. Makes for a interesting listen - you never know what's going to happen next.

New mp3s today....two from Richard X, because they're so BIG! The Cal Tjader is a remix by Fila Brazillia, from the pretty entertaining Verve Remixed 2 compilation - a little Latin spice for you. Finally, this week's oldie is the fantastically funky Psychedelic Shack from The Temptations. Pure 1970 baby!

HERE are the details of the RIAA's actions against internet file sharers. Yeah, like I'm going to sign and get notarized an affadavit saying I won't do it to prevent prosecution. Although if I was one of those kids sharing thousands of files I think I might consider it. In the end it just looks like another way for the man to keep tabs on me.


Monday 9/8
If you surf over to CNN today, you might see the breaking news banner across the top of the page. "BREAKING NEWS Recording industry files 261 lawsuits against Internet music file sharers, announces amnesty program for individuals. Details soon." It will be interesting to see what those details are....

RIP Warren Zevon.

There's been a lot of press lately about The Libertines, first the hype over their excellent LP Up The Bracket, and now over the loss of one of their band members due to drug use and now prison. Co-singer PeteDoherty has been sentenced to 6 months in jail for breaking into bandmate Carl Barat's home. Another classic case of a rock star unable to handle the new found success and money.

Duran Duran fans have a 2 disc greatest hits DVD collection to look forward to, out November 4th. It's about time that the band who helped make music video what it is today got their own anthology.

Did I mention that the Vikings beat the Packers at Lambeau Field?. Oh yeah, I did. And because I was crazy enough to pick them in my football pool, I won the football pool. Life is good.


Sunday 9/7
As well as my passion for music, I love football. That's my wife's fault, because when we first started dating, I had never watched it, thought it was stupid. Then on Sundays after she moved in she'd put on the Vikings game. She had to explain everything to me, the rules, the penalties, everything. She created a monster. I love football, and I'm a Vikings fan. Yeah, we've never won a Superbowl, yeah we've sucked for a couple of years now, but I still love 'em. One of the great rivalries is the Vikes and the Packers. They hate each other, and almost always split the season, each team winning at home.

Until today, season opener Sunday. The Vikings at The Packers. Opening day at the beautifully rebuilt and renovated Lambeau Field, holy ground in football. The largest crowd ever at the field, loads of former Packer greats on the sidelines, and future Hall Of Famer Brett Favre. And Minnesota quarterback Dante Culpepper lighting it up to reciever Randy Moss. The Vikings squeaked out a win, 30-25, at Lambeau, against the team that everybody picked to win the division. And that is absolutely the best thing, next to winning the Superbowl, for a Vikings fan. What a good day - looks like I'll be wearing the purple shirt DJ'ing tonight!
And now back to your regularly scheduled music programming...

Richard X's album Presents His X-Factor Vol.1 is big. The formula is simple; take 2 songs, mash em' up, add shiny Brit popstars singing and a sprinkling of hipster electro(nica), and poof!! instant smash. The fact that the songs that are mashed are some of my faves from the '80's goes a long way towards explaining why I love this record. Chaka Khan's Ain't Nobody mixed with the Human League's Being Boiled on Being Nobody....Spandau Ballet's Chant No.1 guitar riff on Rock Jacket...the S.O.S. Band's The Finest over another Human League track, The Things Dreams Are Made Of...Gary Numan's Are Friends Electric with Adina Howard's Freak Like Me. Two tracks also feature the extremely recognizable vocal stylings of Deborah Evans-Stickland - she was the voice of The Flying Lizards, the prototype elctro-clash duo. It really isn't as cheesy as it seems like it would be, and that's part of it's success. All in all, it makes for a wonderful nostalgia trip, and a funky good time too.

Tonight is another evening with silence is a rhythm too, so if you're in the Twin Cities and are looking for some good tunes and a beverage be sure to stop on in!


Friday 9/5
The Marilyn Manson freakshow is in town this week. Yes, I turned on the local news last night to see the man leaving St Paul's courthouse, where he is being sued by a security guard for more than $75.000. The guard claims that Marilyn gyrated his crotch on the man's head at a local show a couple of years ago, and that the stress of it all has been too much. As John Stossel would say give me a break!

Primal Scream are releasing a greatest hits package in November, featuring tracks from Screamadelica onward. The clincher is the limited edition with a bonus disc of remixes....here 's the tracks

"Come Together' (Hypnotone Brain Machine Mix)

'Higher Than The Sun' (Higher Than the Orb mix)

'Loaded' (Terry Farley Remix)

'Rocks' (Jimmy Miller Remix)

'Jailbird' (Sweeny 2)

'Kowalski' (Automator Mix)

'Long Life' (AKA Living Dub (Long Life Remix by Adrian Sherwood))

'Stuka' (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix)

'Swastika Eyes' (Chemical Brothers Remix edit)

'Exterminator' (Massive Attack remix)

'Miss Lucifer' (Bone to Bone remix) by Alec Empire

'Some Velvet Morning' (Two Lone Swordsmen Alternative Mix)

'Autobahn 66' (Auto Ego Remix)

An essential set of classic remixes.


Thursday 9/4
Coldplay have seen a huge jump in sales this week due to their winning of a bunch of MTV awards last week for the vid for The Scientist, and their album is in the top ten a year after it's release. That's almost always the way with the US - a year or two behind everyone else. The band are also going to be releasing a live album and DVD on November 11.

I've never admitted this to anyone before, but I own the last No Doubt record, largely due to the fact that it was produced by a bunch of my faves - William Orbit, Nellee Hooper & Sly & Robbie among them. My daughter loves them, Hey Baby in particular. It's interesting to hear news of a Gwen Stefani solo album that's being recorded. She's got all kinds of help, from bandmate Tony Kanal to Outkast and Missy Elliott, and the boys in Duran have also expressed an interest. Sounds like it could be fun!


Wednesday 9/3
The results are in, and here are the 10 finalists for the Shortlist Prize. Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights, Cat Power's You Are Free, Cody ChesnuTT's The Headphone Masterpiece, Sigur Ros' ( ), and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever To Tell are among the finalists. This year's ceremony will be on MTV2 in October.

One spin of the new Richard X album Presents His X-Factor Vol.1 is enought to tell me that I'm going to be caning the record to death. The '80's are alive and well here, with two songs based on Human League songs, another based on a Spandau Ballet tune, and of course, the big hit with Sugababes cops the Gary Numan sample. Throw in lyrics from classics by Chaka Khan and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and you end up with a killer electro-pop party album. Look for some mp3 action in the future!


Tuesday 9/2
New mp3s today...Cafe Tacuba's EO is a rocking uptempo track that never fails to get people's heads nodding when I play it on Sunday nights. The Dandy Warhols track is just downright cool - a dreamy, falsetto sung beauty. The Macy Gray features a rap from Pharoah Monche and has her backed up by Beck and his band, and it's another tune that will have you head nodding. Finally, The O'Jays tune is a stone cold classic, recently heard as the sample source for Angie Stone's Wish I Didn't Miss You, and one of my fave soul tunes from the '70's. Enjoy!

While I was on vacation last week I missed the MTV Video Music Awards. I knew that they'd be re-running it into the ground so I'd get a chance to see it. So yesterday at 11:30 in the morning there I was, watching Madonna tongue kiss Britney and Xtina. Chris Rock was his usual caustic self, cutting no slack to the celebs he ranted about. The show was so-so, with Duran Duran getting the short shrift on their lifetime achievement ward....no clip package, no history of the band, just a rather last minute "here you go, here's some moonmen for you" deal. Still, they looked pretty good! I had to tape the last hour of the show so that my daughter (who was out) would get to see the deliciously tasty Beyoncé do Crazy In Love - and yes, Jay-Z was there for his rap. That song has been the biggest hit this summer at my house, with the kid being a huge fan - you should see her singing along! This is a very entertaining play by play of the whole show from Fluxblog

Indie hip hop label Anticon has signed Minneapolis native DOSH, and are re-releasing his debut self titled album this week, remastered and with new cover art. I love this record, filled with abstract instrumentals that feature crunk beats, beautiful guitar melodies and a wee bit of jazziness. Martin Dosh drums for FOG, another cool local abstract combo. Do yourself a favor and check out the Anticon site - they've got 3 Dosh mp3s up for you to sample. Then go and buy the record.


Monday 9/1
I'm b-a-a-a-a-ack...Vacation was most excellent. Nothing like a week of sitting on a beach by a lake to relieve life's stress. Too bad it couldn't have been a for another week! Oh well, at least today is Labor Day (US holiday), so no work until tomorrow.

Some interesting news items...
Legendary British rock show The Old Gray Whistle Test was where everybody who was anybody played back in it's '70's - '80's heyday, and now we get this DVD retrospective. It features performances from John Lennon, U2, the Police, the Ramones and Bonnie Raitt, and a bunch of interviews too.

Polyphonic Spree fall tour dates. And once again, no Minneapolis date. Aaaaaarrghhhh!!

Tomorrow is new release day, and one of the records I'm pumped about is the new Richard X release Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. This album has been getting pretty good reviews, and features the big hit (in the UK) Being Nobody which is the mash up of TLC and the Human League. Also out this week is the new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album, and finally, the US release of Black Box Recorder's Passionoia. I haven't been shopping in over a week, so you know where I'll be tomorrow!

Big ups to the boys in Duran Duran for their Lifetime Achievement Award from MTV last week...apparently they were the toast of the town. Now that's some staying power!


Tuesday 8/26
A couple of news items today before I leave for my cabin on the lake....

The Strokes have named their new album Room On Fire, and the first single off of it will be 12:51. It'll be interesting to see what kind of response they get with this record - better hope it lives up to the hype of their debut!

Helmet were one of my fave bands back in the '90's - I still listen to Meantime a fair amount, especially when I'm feeling like punching a wall. Coming November 4th is the band's first ever Best Of collection. Apparently the rumor has been that they were going to reform to help promote it, but mainman Page Hamilton says this is not true. It sure would have been fun to see them again - I saw them a couple of times back in the day, and they rocked my world.

OK, so now I really am on vacation, so no more updates until probably Sunday. Later!


Monday 8/25
---------- S E E ----------- Y A ---------- L A T E R ----------

silence is a rhythm too will be on a well deserved vacation this week - no updates or new music. Me and the family are (in classic Minnesotan style) "heading up north, eh?" to spend the week in a cabin on a lake. God, I cannot freaking wait!!! If I happen to come across a computer in the woods somewhere I might try and do an update, but most likely that ain't going to happen...