JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT-Here We Rest

Posted on May 9th, 2011 by ekko

I’ve been a fan of Jason Isbell back when he was the young upstart in Drive-By Truckers, thought his first solo record blew away his stuff with Patterson Hood, was sad when he jumped to a major label (but happy for Jason), and was overjoyed when he released his latest album, Here We Rest, on the indie Lightning Rod Records.

With gems like “Alabama Pines”and “Codeine,” and the incredible old soul blues rocker “Heart on a String,” this is my favorite of all his solo efforts so far.  I suppose there are folks–like those flaming pretentious shmucks at Pitchf%&k, who will continue to compare Isbell to the DBTs.  But to do so is to miss the point completely.  Isbell was always a cleaner, clearer songwriter–where the DBTs are about grit and honesty, Isbell has always been about the craft.  It’s like comparing Wu Tang Clan to LL Cool J.  Both are great, and they share a genre, but their styles are completely different.  Jason is R&B Americana, and with this, his second record with The 400 Unit, he pretty much sheds his past in favor of soft harmonies and tightly structured ballads.  If there was pop radio for the likes of Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, and Fred J. Eaglesmith, Jason Isbell would surely be in the top 10.

I love this album.  LOVE IT.  It’s easily one of the best of the year so far.  Love it so much, I’m planning a second Jason Isbell post–just to help get the word out on it.

Alabama Pines

JASON ISBELL DOES COVERS!

Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)

Into the Mystic (Van Morrison)

Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line (Waylon Jennings) (Mike Dillon on vocals)

Tags: Covers, Covers On Fridaze

MURS & TERRACE MARTIN-Melrose

Posted on May 9th, 2011 by ekko

Murs used to be on a major label.  He dropped 3:16 with 9th Wonder.  It was tremendous.  Then people started caring about hooks more than lyrics.  Then he got dropped.  Now he’s got his own label.  He’s joined forces with Terrace Martin to make an album with 1980s/90s style “disco beats” and hilarious lyrics and even more hilarious delivery.

Lovin’ this.  Major.  Like it way, way, way more than these guys’ previous collabo–Murs for President.

Buy it here.  Seriously.  It’s amazing.

Check out a song and the vid for Fresh Kicks.

Cheating on Me

Tags: Hip Hop

EX-MAN SUCKS + REALLY COOL NEW MASH UP ALBUM

Posted on May 7th, 2011 by ekko

So I write about comic books a lot here and some a$$hole from “M.A.E.K. Entertainment” gets some shills to create fake e-mail addresses and drop comments about something called “Ex-Man Collection.”  I have no idea what it is, and never will, because this kind of publicity campaign is bull$hit.  Of course, their official position is they know nothing about it, but there’s simply know way I’d get five e-mails and four comments on my site about a random comic book without some kind of organization behind it.  So, I’m telling my readers never to read, buy, or speak of whatever the hell Ex-Man Collection is.

Ahem.

Now then, there’s also a really cool, free album out there mashing Muse with Wu Tang.  Muse and Wu Tang!  Where can I get that?

Here.

And cop a taste of it:
Fury of CREAM.

Now go bob ya head.

THE RETURN OF THE ULTIMATE LINE

Posted on May 7th, 2011 by ekko

I was going to save this for a bimonthly news post, but there’s so much being announced, I thought I’d give it a feature.  Plus, it’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, so I have to post about my fave form of literature on today of all days.

A few years ago, I was preparing for a summer vacation and needed some good reading, so I asked the knowledgeable and nice fellows at Vienna’s Big Planet Comics for a recommendation.  They threw a hundred-dollar hardcover at me, the size of a phonebook, called “Ultimates Omnibus,” and told me to get my wallet out.

Between the covers I found a revelation that led me to the also-wonderful Ultimate Spider-Man and the pretty-cool-but-inconsistent Ultimate X-Men.  Great stuff.

Then Mark Millar started making Kick Ass money and dumped out, leaving the Ultimates in the hands of Jeph Loeb who took the credo of this “alternate take” on the Marvel U, which is that “anything goes” and “anyone can die,” way, way, WAY too far and killed just about everyone in some of the least comprehensible “major” comic arcs I’ve ever had the misfortune of reading.  Since then, Millar came back, but I think it was for the paycheck not the passion as the Marvel Ultimate universe (MUU?) has pretty much sucked since then.  Except for Ultimate Spider-Man, which is still a lot of fun.  And now they’re killing Ulti-Spidey.

Great idea!  Let’s trash the only thing that’s working!

Anway, after the Wall Crawler dies and the horrible “Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates” series wraps, Marvel will launch “Ultimate Comics: Ultimates,” with the creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic.  It will represent the “rebirth” of the MUU.

Here’s what to expect, in a nutshell, beginning this August:

- Ultimate Comics: Ultimates. The core team will be Nick Fury, Thor, Spider-Woman, and Hulk.  With Hickman and Ribic behind it, it should be good.  Of course, Mark Millar and Jason Aaron are currently putting out trash and tripe under the MUU banner, so “should” is the operative word in that sentence.

- Ultimate Hawkeye. Spinning out and around the main title will be Hickman and Rafa Sandoval’s take on Hawkeye, a four-issue mini.  It will bring in a lot of MUU Clint’s background, like how he got hooked up with SHIELD and all.  Maybe it can explain why a guy with intensive military training and any weapon he wants at his disposal chooses to go with a bow and arrow?

- Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 by Nick Spencer and Paco Medina .  Most Ulti-X-Men are dead, so the core members will be: Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Human Torch, and Rogue.  If Johnny Storm is a head scratcher, you’ve got to remember: Ultimate Mutants are not born; they were made by the government in a lab, like Captain America.  Spencer reports that he won’t be brining any of the dead U-Xers back to life (i.e, we won’t see the good ones, like Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Magneto, Wolverine, Professor X, etc.).

- Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli.  Yes, he’s dying.  But apparently not really.  In a desperate effort to publish another “first issue” (Ultimate Spider-Man just got a #1 after Jeph Loeb savaged the MUU), Marvel will relaunch the book that made everyone respect the Ultimates line and concept.  Bendis says that Peter Parker will stay dead, so it’ll be a new one.

Tags: Comic books

MILK CARTON KIDS-Retrospect

Posted on May 7th, 2011 by ekko

Two solo singer/songwriters with guitars, teaming up to form an even greater whole. Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale.

Honest lyrics, pure music, minimalist–no need for vocoders or drum machines or overdubs.  Just live music.

Beautiful indie from Madison, WI.

Get the whole album free here.

Truly great stuff.

Permanent

Charlie

Tags: Free Album!, indie folk, Indie rock

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on May 6th, 2011 by ekko

Tags: Picture of the day

COVERS FRYDAZE: LL Cool J!

Posted on May 6th, 2011 by ekko

(You can buy this shirt here)

Rock the Bells-Eminem (live)

Mama Said Knock You Out-Lagawagon

Around the Way Girl-Travis Morrison

Tags: Covers On Fridaze, Hip Hop

MAN THE CHANGE-Weather the Storm

Posted on May 5th, 2011 by ekko

MAN THE CHANGE ARE LOUD. Raucous fucking hardcore with pithy, wise, SHOUTED hooks and lines. Unsigned NYC punk!

Rambo vs. Bas Rutten

Catch them live:

MAY 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Acheron w/ Such Gold and Living With Lions
MAY 24 – Staten Island, NY @ Warriors Warehouse w/ Tomahawk Chop
MAY 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Lonestar Bar and Grill
JUN 22 – Asbury, NJ @ Asbury Lanes w/ The Reveling
JUL 01 – Staten Island, NY @ Warriors Warehouse w/ Half Hearted Hero and Kids

Tags: indie punk

SARAH FIMM-Near Infinite Possibility

Posted on May 4th, 2011 by ekko

Luscious 1990s alt girl rock!  Sarah Fimm–a singer/songwriter from Woodstock, NY–has a voice and style that recalls Sarah McLachlan.  I met McLachlan once.  She was extremely short.  Anyway, Ms. Fimm’sbeen making music for many years now, and her experience shows in the crystal clear production, tight songwriting, and her amazing voice.  Radio-friendly power pop–and D.I.Y. anthem rock.

Here’s the video for “Yellow”:

Tags: Indie Pop

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on May 3rd, 2011 by ekko

Tags: Picture of the day