They said it couldn’t be done. Nothing Not New is well into its fifth month. That’s something like 100 records that I’ve listened to so far. That’s a lot of songs, and here are 11 more standouts from the past four-plus months.On this podcast, music editor Martin Cizmar and I…
If LCD Soundsystem’s third record will indeed be the band’s last (as main man James Murphy has indicated), at least they’re going out on top. Not since New Order’s mid-’80s heyday has a band seamlessly fused dance music with rock music all the while reconciling an indie spirit with the…
Artist: Flying LotusTitle: CosmogrammaRelease date: May 3Label: Warp RecordsA while back, a reader posted a comment on one of my Nothing Not New posts asking why I continued to listen to electronic/laptop music even though I don’t care for it all that much.Well, first of all, in the spirit of…
Artist: The Dead WeatherTitle: Sea of CowardsRelease date: May 11Label: Third ManI’ve read more than a couple of references to The Dead Weather as Jack White’s third-best band. Hmm. Really? Granted, I’ve heard only bits and pieces of The Dead Weather’s debut record, Horehound, and White’s other side project (and,…
Artist: The NationalTitle: High VioletRelease date: May 11Label: 4ADIf The Hold Steady’s Heaven Is Whenever is destined to be the party album of the summer, then The National’s new record, High Violet, is destined to be the party-is-over record of the summer. In fact, I couldn’t blame you if you decided…
Artist: ShapiroTitle: ShapiroRelease date: Spring 2010Label: DweebMy editor, Martin Cizmar, has a theory: If Jerry Lee Lewis had not nailed his 13-year-old cousin in 1958 (which, of course, pretty much destroyed his burgeoning career in the United States), rock music today would be primarily a piano-driven discipline rather than a guitar-driven…
The Arizona Diamondbacks come home tonight to face the Milwaukee Brewers feeling pretty good about themselves. Why? They just wrapped up the season’s longest road trip, an 11-gamer, with an acceptable 6-5 record. The D-Backs punctuated it Thursday night in Houston with a complete-game 6-3 win from ace Dan Haren…
Artist: Gogol BordelloTitle: Trans-Continental HustleRelease date: April 27Label: AmericanHow many of you have listened to someone tell you, “Aw, you just gotta see ’em live to appreciate them”? I know I’ve said that before. And I think I’ve heard more than one person say it in regard to Gogol Bordello,…
Late bloomers hold a special place in our hearts. They represent perseverance, new directions, and second acts. Such is the story of Long John Hunter, a Texas bluesman who didn’t “make it” until he was 66 years old, when Alligator Records turned him into a star — outside of the…
Artist: Broken Social SceneTitle: Forgiveness Rock RecordRelease date: May 4Label: Arts & CraftsWe just entered our fifth month here at “Nothing Not New” — just under eight months to go on this yearlong new-music journey. I’m a couple of days late on this, but I have to give you my…
Artist: The New PornographersTitle: TogetherRelease date: May 4Label: MatadorFor me, the equation’s always been real simple when it comes to the indie-pop group The New Pornographers: songs with Neko Case taking the vocal reins = yes; songs with the wanna-be British dude singing = maybe. Well, maybe it’s not that simple,…
Artist: The Hold SteadyTitle: Heaven Is WheneverRelease date: May 4Label: VagrantThe Hold Steady’s new record, Heaven Is Whenever, is going to be the soundtrack of more than a few lives this summer. Picture it: dudes hoisting beers and pumping their fists to the stadium-size riffs, chicks swaying to the power…
Artist: Sharon Jones & the Dap-KingsTitle: I Learned the Hard WayRelease date: April 6Label: DaptoneI was shocked to see that Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings’ new record debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. I was shocked not because the band isn’t worthy of hitting number 15 (it is)…
Artist: HoleTitle: Nobody’s DaughterRelease date: April 27Label: MercuryAnybody remember the ’90s? That was the decade, as a friend once put it, that the music we once loved was dragged into the street and raped. Yeah, pretty harsh, I know — and damned simplistic in retrospect. But that was how we…
The Diamondbacks blew a six-run first inning — and won? Strange but true. Well, not really so strange considering that the back end of the D-Backs’ rotation is pretty weak and the bullpen isn’t much better. Thank goodness, this year’s team knows how to hit, as the offense carried the…
The new releases are piling up here at Nothing Not New HQ, and I hate to see them not getting some blogspace. So I’m going to employ the “quick hit” approach and give you my thoughts on a handful of records about which I probably wouldn’t get a chance to…
Artist: Unnatural HelpersTitle: Cracked Love & Other DrugsRelease date: April 27Label: Hardly ArtLast week, I blogged about Esquire’s 50 songs every man should be listening to right now, and I put out the call for readers to submit their list of songs everyone should be listening to. After sifting through…
It certainly didn’t look pretty for the Suns early in the game, when the Blazers run-and-gunned their way to a 23-9 lead. But the Suns adjusted and gave the Blazers a taste of their own medicine, and by the time the first quarter had ended, the Suns were down only…
Artist: Harlan T. BoboTitle: SuckerRelease date: April 13Label: GonerHistorically speaking, what city is the undisputed heavyweight champion in American rock ‘n’ roll? Well, there are really only two legitimate contenders in this bout: Detroit and Memphis. Every other locale belongs on the undercard.I acknowledge a bias because I claim Michigan…
But you’re not listening to this stuff to hear music editor Martin Cizmar (he even says the “f” word on this show. Don’t ever mention Beastie Boys; he can’t abide those guys) and I yammer. You’re listening for the music, right? Check out this week’s playlist after the jump…
Artist: Roky Erickson and Okkervil RiverTitle: True Love Cast Out All EvilRelease date: April 20Label: Anti-Score another one for the old goats. The latest has-been to crawl out of the peculiar limbo that the popular culture reserves for aging legends is Roky Erickson.If you’ve never heard of the guy, he’s…
The Phoenix Suns looked a lot like team that is in complete control of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, even though they’re up just 2-1 in the series. The Suns led by as much 31 points, on the road, Wednesday night as they rolled to a 108-89…
