CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn

Rating:7/10
Modern Music Review
Third full effort again sounds like nothing before, as with an opera where death represents a secret heaven, the whole record feels like a black diamond in the snow. A record is being fed by many different genres and musically it doesn't border a unique style, A great example of mixing all of them successfully in the manner. Dreamy opera vocals into dum-dum beats, electronic music, and it sounds cool.

Both sisters have strong talent in music, that's because you'll be all agreed by the idea of their music sounds like nothing you have ever heard before. Debut "La Maison de Mon Rêve" and previous my favorite "Noah's Ark" likewise support the idea. We've got amazing songs like "Promise", "Houses" which is truly massive work to say 'Yes!'. Most interestingly, "The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn" sometimes turns to quite dark, ethereal, dreamy record . These blue moments don't show up themselves everytime. On "Houses" you can see all the pain summarized by power of opera. This record is short about 35 minutes, though.

Entire beauty shines in front of your eyes, but, that's all . Like a short memorable story, obscured "The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn" is only beautiful. Releases Apr 9, 2007
MM picks: Promise, Houses, Raphael
mp3: Rainbow Warriors
mp3: Noah's Ark
mp3: By Your Side
mp3: Tekno Love Song (Highly rec'd)

Joni Mitchell - For The Roses

More songs of transient euphoria and stabbing loss, played out against an ambiguous background of relentless fatalism and constant hope, mingled in approximately equal proportions, from the poorest little rich girl in Laurel Canyon.

The difference between Joni and most of her male balladeer companions, and the reason
I respect her and not them, is that she writes her diary with an uncompromising honesty; alone among them, she knows herself, and describes her psychodramas with a cool, clear brain. Not for her is self-pity and her task is made easier by an almost total command of poetic device. Her images and metaphors are the result of thought, never the first incomplete ideas of a lazy writer who grasps the first phrase which comes to hand. Add to this a considerable and ever-developing musicianship, and a voice flexible enough to avoid the blandness this genre so often attracts, and you have a talent which, for once, justifies the acclaim it receives. ‘For The Roses’ is mostly about loss: in in many of these songs, she caresses her precious yesterdays like the cover of an old, wellthumbed leather-bound book. ‘See You Sometime’ and ‘Lesson In Survival’ are such, but ;Woman Of Heart And Mind’ is the best because she stands outside herself, painting a portrait as dispassionately as one can in such circumstances of a quixotic, demanding man – both a put-down and a come-on, it winds up as catharsis. She’s at her best, like most modern poets, when she’s least explicit: ‘Electricity’ uses a marvellousmetaphor to illuminate the breakdown of a relationship, while ‘Lesson In Survival’ contains the only jarring moment when she sings “Oh baby, I can’t seemto make it with you socially”; she didn’t need to say that, because she’s already made the point in more subtly powerful ways. In ‘Blonde In The Bleachers’ she speaks from bitter experience of another girl who maybe herself, and even ‘You Turn Me On, I’mA Radio’, which sounds like a shout of joy, is really an uncertain plea.

Her expanding talents as a musician are illustrated on the two most ambitious pieces. ‘Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire’ is a smack-song, and has her most finely poised writing: “A wristwatch, a ring, a downstairs screamer/Edgy – black cracks of the sky/Pincush-dreamer!” ‘Judgement Of The Moon And Stars’ is addressed to Beethoven, writing symphonies in his deafness. It demonstrates how she’s now thinking of songs in terms of unbroken development, rather than as simple repetitions of a specific format, and I’m sure this is where her future lies.

The way she sings “movie queen”, in ‘Let The Wind Carry Me’ is the perfect mating
of a rigorous intelligence and an earthy sensuality.--Richard Williams
mp3: Joni Mitchell - For The Roses
mp3: Joni Mitchell - Let The Wind Carry Me

Bill Callahan - Woke On A Whaleheart

Rating: 9.5/10
Modern Music Review
Alternative Country
The artist formerly known as Smog releases his debut recording under his real name, and offers up an emotive and carefully crafted collection of folk-rock masterpieces. And for this one, i'm superbly exited to tell my feelings.

While listening your favorite music, you don't know where you go, the things that you like, problems that you'd yesterday. Even if nothing is allright, good music shows all the things holly in the world. Like Bill Callahan new solo work "Woke On A Whaleheart", you don't know when to cry, when you smile, but you know that generally life is sad. On the record, everything looks perfect considering previous (Smog) records that are growing and earning tasty music on every following record . Give me the mellow songwriting, i want guitars moving as always, a mature vocal, piano, backround female vocals, sensitive flowing, and my favorite wine on the hand. Everything looks perfect like i imagined. The music goes upon my body to my feet. It's good feeling it inside of your body viscerally. As a big (Smog) fan, i must admit that it's one of the best works of Bill Callahan yet. Gospel, blues, folk, rock, country, i already counted the most fascinating genres, and they're tight together on "Woke On A Whaleheart". That's the music that i'd like to call magical, soulful, closer to a scene from our lives. If i could tell how this album is beautiful, it would be any good.

This is different for everyone, it's everything that we can't tell by speaking -- originally this is main description of music. If the record still has power to encourage me writing, then i love calling it essential! Release date: 24 April, 2007
MM picks: Honeymoon Child, Day, Night, A Man Needs A Woman Or A Man To Be A Man
mp3: Bill Callahan - Sycamore
mp3: Bill Callahan - Night

Similar Legends:
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Elliott Smith
Leonard Cohen

The Human League - Dare!

Phil Oakey is a post-Iggy crooner of romantic agony who possesses a tough streak of intellectual scepticism. ‘Dare!’ is the second intoxicating intervention to be produced out of the great split, and already it’s the first Human League greatest hits collection. It is the first coherent projection of persecuted lover Oakey’s staggeringly twisted personality – I mean that in the queasiest possible way. The Human League, presumably because Phil Oakey and Bobby Last took charge of the proceedings, have begun to deal seriously with the themes and issues of popular fi ction, song, film and soap opera – love, an intensity of desire, an examination of comfort, beauty and jealousy. Fundamentally, there’s been an artful redefinition of the quite devious potentials of middle of the road music. As the League theory no doubt had it they are Abba locked into Ramones, Iggy, Can, Zappa, Kraftwerk. A confection energised by intimate refl ection. The use of electronics becomes all but irrelevant. The Human League just produce their music to interfere with the daily details of the ’80s family. The Human League signify that deliciously serious, sincerely disposable MOR music can possess style, quality and sophistication. I like the idea of the Human League selling hundreds of thousands of copies of their product. So does Bob Last. I like the idea of The Human League knocking Genesis off the Number One place in the LP charts. Why? Choice and change, lust and longing. The Human League could be the first pop group broken in by punk and who are in touch with the deeper elements of art rituals, pop skills, political illusion and love codes who have burst into the mainstream.Surprise! ‘Dare!’ is some kind of revenge, and in many ways it challenges the very conventions of pop music and the essence of innovation. What is it all for? I think that ‘Dare!’ is one of the great popular music LPs. It’s both ‘pleasant’ and it’s a ‘challenge’. I’ll keep it forever: truth and lie combined I’ll always hold dear.--Paul Morley
mp3: The Human League - Don't You Want Me
mp3: The Human League - The Sound of the Crowd

Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque

Wow! What a great cover album that another reason to fall in love with the voice of Bryan Ferry. This "Dylanesque" becomes my favorite cover album recently. The 11 songs are mostly classic mid-‘60s Dylan, but we can't say someone hey!, you should cover rarities not classic works. I love Bryan Ferry, so he's good at covering. Remember great Roxy Music cover John Lennon's Jealous Guy, it was terrific, wasn't it? Music melts by voice of the guy. Ferry's English language is so clear to recognize. And i love listening this record.

This is a rock-solid collection, far more suited to his fragile croon than the previous collection of covers, As Time Goes By (1999). It all proves that maybe Dylan was at the heart of Ferry’s muse, even back in 1972. Let’s hope he brings such energy to that Roxy album. BBC
mp3: Bryan Ferry - All Along The Watchtower

New Singles of the Week

Singles
1. mp3: Bright Eyes – Four Winds
2. mp3: Calexico - Ocean of Noise (Arcade Fire Cover)
3. mp3: Norah Jones – Sinkin’ Soon
4. Fields – Charming The Flames
5. Love of Diagrams - Pace or the Patience
6. Little Man Tate - This Must Be Love
7. Arcade Fire – Keep The Car Running (7”)
8. Stefy – Chelsea
9. Radar – War Out There
10. The Good The Bad & The Queen - Green Fields

I was in a hury, checking Pitchfork and saw the great Arcade Fire cover of Ocean of Noise by Calexico. I hope you like it.

Videos
Apples In Stereo Video - Can You Feel It
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Bomb. Repeat. Bomb

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

Rating: 9/10
Techno
Review:
This is new album of Swedish artist The Field which titled From Here We Go Sublime on Cologne's uber-prolific and super-duper Kompakt Records. Imagine a digital world where all object only move by rhythm of electronic music. The world of Fields! This is the place for only electronic materials, if you want to go in, act like a robot or let it music grow on you, there is no place for slobs. The time came to break your brooding, it's time for real action.

"From Here We Go Sublime" offers very smart music at every moment, it never needs a vocal performance to border the music.
That show success of it on the genre techno where voice stops, beats talk. The beginning of spring is right time for dance music. But the problem with techno music usually is that it may exhaust you during high beats, high volume, long time playing... The Field walks in differently, though. You'll realize that The Field's limpid, liquid, and white sound provides almost perfect recording. Every minor detail deserves compliments. And that's for sure, "Mobilia" is the key song of it.

This perfect dynamism of computer-made music, still controlled by a human, shows how important electronic music will be in the future. It's my new obsession for now.
MM picks: Over the Ice, A Paw In My Face, Sun & Ice, Mobilia
mp3: Field - A Paw In My Face
Over the Ice, and Everyday at:
http://www.myspace.com/thefieldsthlm
You may also like:
The Knife - Silent Shout
TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Aphex Twin - Drukqs
Mouse on Mars - Iaora Tahiti

Sorry...Time To Say Goodbye

It's been always pleasure sharing a lot of good music with you, but it seems this is the end of road. I'll always remember this blog, and your good wishes.--Bulut

mp3: Good to Go

Edit*
...But don't forget April Fools, i never give up sharing good music. Fine! Here some nice live stuff for a better Sunday!

John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes (1946-48)
John Coltrane live in japan (jul 1966) part1_part2_part3_part4_part5
Kraftwerk - Super Golden Radio Shows
Midnight Oil - Scream In Blue Live
Portishead - Live UK (2007) part1_part2
mp3: Chris Cornell - Can't Change Me (live)

Muse Live at Belfort (2002)
mp3: Muse - Citizen Erased
mp3: Muse - Bliss

The Cure Curiosa Festival, Toronto, Canada (08/09/04)

Modest Mouse - Live, 2000 Bowery Ballroom

mp3: Roger Waters - Mother