Sink Your Teeth Into New Vampire Weekend

The new album, 'Contra', is still set for a Jan. 12 release on XL Recordings. This song, "Cousins", is even better than the first tune we got our hands on, "Horchata". Do the pogo while you wait for the first great album of 2010!

Sorry folks. The powers that be have asked me to remove the mp3 for "Cousins".

The Producers: Langer and Winstanley

Nothing screams '80s like the production of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, but they have worked with quite a few bands outside of the decade as well. Just look at these names: Blur, Aztec Camera, Tim Finn, Suede, Hothouse Flowers, The Teardrop Explodes and Bush, just to name a few. To me, these are the B-listers when compared to the acts included in my mix below. These two would take a demo and work their overdub magic to create cheerful, sugary-sweet pop. As Elvis Costello said: "[They] certainly knew where the charts were but they also made great records. By 1983 they were pretty irresistible and unstoppable."

If you don't think they had the touch, just remember they even managed an American Top 10 hit for Madness. You'll never get me to believe there is another producer who could have accomplished that with those very English blokes! These two also helped Costello capture his first American Top 40 hit with the song below. And Dexy's Midnight Runners, against all odds, went all the way to No. 1 on this side of the pond, too. The rest of the songs below are just personal favorites of mine. What are the boys up to now? They just produced a new Madness album, 'The Liberty of Norton Folgate', to rave reviews.

They Might Be Giants - Hearing Aid (mp3)
Madness - Our House (mp3)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Everyday I Write the Book (mp3)
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (mp3)
Morrissey - Our Frank (mp3)
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Minor Character (mp3)
David Bowie - Absolute Beginners (Full Length Version) (mp3)

The Producers: Steve Lillywhite

Yesterday's mention of Steve Lillywhite got me thinking about all of the great names he has produced through the years... especially in the '80s. Siouxsie & the Banshees, Simple Minds, Marshall Crenshaw, Morrissey, Crowded House, World Party and Ultravox are just the tip of the iceberg. I think producers are a lot like sports referees. If you don't hear too much about them, they are probably doing a good job. It's tough to butt heads with rock-n-roll egos, but sometimes a producer sees art in a different way. This has happened a few times with Lillywhite, and there are a few bad stories floating around out there, but not too many when you consider his vast discography.

Crenshaw fans have been highly critical of Lillywhite's production on 'Field Day'. I admit the record has a muddier sound than Crenshaw's debut. Many have sought the 12" U.S. Remix of the 'Field Day' song "For Her Love" simply because it was not produced by Lillywhite. I have read interviews with Crenshaw that illustrate he liked the production, and so do I. In fact, it is my favorite Crenshaw album. A band that didn't like Lillywhite's work on their album was The La's. In fact, they disliked him so much they admitted to purposely playing poorly with hopes the record would not be released. It didn't work, and their debut LP was a big hit in the UK anyway. The La's spent many years afterward dissing the record, saying it was "like a snake with a broken back". The band's frontman vowed to never release anything else until the record was re-recorded. Ouch. The only other Lillywhite horror story I have heard about dealt with being fired by Dave Matthews Band. I could go into specifics, but since we are talking about DMB, who cares? Besides, there is just too much great music with the Lillywhite touch to realize these are isolated instances.

Besides the long list of bands I have listed above, here is a mix of others Lillywhite produced. It's quite impressive.

U2 - Two Hearts Beat As One (mp3)
XTC- Helicopter (mp3)
Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers (mp3)
Talking Heads - (Nothing But) Flowers (mp3)
The La's - Timeless Melody (mp3)
Big Country - In A Big Country (mp3)
The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink (mp3)
She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? (mp3)
The Rolling Stones - One Hit (To the Body) (12" Single) (mp3)
The Thompson Twins - In the Name of Love (mp3)

Big Country Chronicles: 'Rarities IV'

There are eight volumes to Big Country's 'Rarities' series, but this is the only one I have purchased. Volume IV contains 18 demos from 1982, including every song that later became 'The Crossing'. This is before they were ever signed to Mercury, and it is not a big leap to assume these versions got them their contract. The very clean-sounding demos were remastered by bassist Tony Butler, but it is plain to see -- based on these versions -- producer Steve Lillywhite did a fantastic job with 'The Crossing'. There are two versions of B-side "Heart and Soul" here, as well as two future songs from the 1984 'Wonderland' EP -- "Angle Park" and "The Crossing". There are also four songs that never appeared on any Big Country record... not even a B-side. It is obvious to these ears why they never made it beyond the demo stage. I really enjoy listening to these demos, but none of them surpass the final versions, making 'Rarities IV' a must for die-hard fans only.

Big Country - Close Action (demo) (mp3)
Big Country - Porrohman (demo) (mp3)
Big Country - Fields of Fire (demo) (mp3)

See Also:
Big Country Chronicles: 'Radio 1 Sessions'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Hold the Heart'
Big Country Chronicles: 'One Great Thing'
Big Country Chronicles: 'The Teacher'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Look Away'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Just a Shadow'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Where the Rose Is Sown'
Big Country Chronicles: 'East of Eden'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Wonderland'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Chance'
Big Country Chronicles: 'In A Big Country'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Fields of Fire'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Harvest Home'

Wondermints Look Through the Kaleidoscope

With the help of Rhino's 'Poptopia! Power Pop Classics' series, I discovered Wondermints in 1997. Their first single, "Proto-Pretty", absolutely blew me away, and I have snagged everything they have put out before and since then. The problem is the band rarely releases anything. Since 1996, they have only had four official full-length releases. For more than a decade, they have been busy backing Brian Wilson on stage and in the studio, but I wish we could have more Wondermints records. On Dec. 1, I'm kind of getting my wish. The songs on 'Kaleidoscopin': Exploring Prisms Of The Past' are not new. In fact, if you own the bootleg 'Mintsmania!', you already have most of these songs. This odds-'n-sods package collects a slew of demos, B-sides and other unreleased nuggets. No, this isn't new Wondermints, but I'll take what I can get.

'Kaleidoscopin' - Exploring Prisms Of The Past' Tracklist
1. And Penny Knows
2. Wondermints
3. No One's Girl
4. Gone
5. I Should Fall
6. Silly Place
7. Truth or Consequences
8. Galactic Patrol
9. Runnin' Thru The Nite
10. Reality Check
11. Invisible Paint
12. Mis’ry Train
13. She Knows
14. Playtex Aviary (revisited)
15. The Party
16. Austin Powers
17. You Need Love
18. Full Moon
19. Ski Party
20. Rejected X-mas messages

My Wondermints Fave Five
Wondermints - Proto-Pretty (mp3)
Wondermints - Tracy Hide (mp3)
Wondermints - Carnival of Souls (mp3)
Wondermints - Chris-Craft No. 10 (mp3)
Wondermints - Another Way (mp3)

Phoenix Perform on 'Sound Opinions'

One of the few joys of terrestrial radio is Chicago Public Radio's 'Sound Opinions'. Rock critics Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune and Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times claim to host the world's only rock-and-roll talk show. Each week they spin tunes, talk about the latest news, interview bands and even have their guests perform from time to time. The show is picked up by several other public radio stations around the country. So, check your local lineup. You can also listen to the mp3 stream or download the podcast. Click here for more info.

I bring this up because a couple of weeks ago (Oct. 23) the boys snagged Phoenix for a visit and performance. I admit that -- as a longtime fan -- the band's overexposer has been a bit irritating. In spite of larger venues and Cadillac commercials, I still love them. This intimate appearance is a real keeper. They play the two big hits from their latest, 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix', but they also cover Air's "Playground Love" (Do you get the feeling they wish this was their song?) and "One Time Too Many" from my favorite Phoenix album, 'It's Never Been Like That'. Give the show a listen.

Phoenix - 1901 (mp3) (from Sound Opinions)
Phoenix - Lisztomania (mp3) (from Sound Opinions)
Phoenix - Playground Love (mp3) (from Sound Opinions)
Phoenix - One Time Too Many (mp3) (from Sound Opinions)

Pixies Give Free 'Doolittle Live' EP

You gotta love a band that gives their fans a free four-song download from their celebrated tour. As the Pixies continue the 20th anniversary of 'Doolittle' by playing the entire album on stage (B-sides and all), click here to get a taste of the Paris show performed last month. Here is the tracklist:

1. Dancing the Manta Ray
2. Monkey Gone to Heaven
3. Crackity Jones
4. Gouge Away

Monkey Gone to Heaven (mp3) (Live in Paris 2009)

Did you catch the Pixies performing "Here Comes Your Man" on 'The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien' last Friday? If not, see it now. They looked and sounded great.

Reissues and Releases: Pylon, Reed, Davies

Athens, Ga., has certainly produced a long list of legendary bands. One group that may not make your list but certainly should is Pylon. I didn't discover them until 1987 when I bought the soundtrack to the documentary 'Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out'. I went back and got the albums 'Gyrate' (1980) and 'Chomp' (1982). The band's mix of jangle pop and post punk were my kind of music at the time (still is!), and I practically wore these two records out. Pylon disbanded after these two gems. What I didn't realize until recently is that they reformed for a record in 1990. I have never heard it, but they disbanded again soon after its release. As the years have passed, I think the next generation of indie bands has embraced the band and cited Pylon as a major influence. With that in mind, the DFA label has reissued and expanded both of these great LPs. 'Gyrate Plus' has been out for a couple of years and, finally, 'Chomp More' hit the shelves a couple of weeks ago. Do yourself a favor and take a bite out of both of these records. It's time Pylon passes the cult rank and joins R.E.M. and B-52's as a legendary band... inside and out of Athens.

Pylon - Beep (mp3) (from Chomp)

I don't consider myself a big fan of Lou Reed. I'll give you a moment to gasp. All done? I love his years with Velvet Underground and a handful of his songs as a solo artist. For the past decade (or maybe two), his work has been downright bad. There is, however, one brief moment in his solo career that is stellar, and that album was reissued a couple of weeks ago. 'New Sensations', from 1984, is just about the only one of his records that brims with optimism. It's pure pop, and I love it. I have always wondered what die-hard Reed fans think of the record. It's so different from his other work. If you have shied away from his reords in the past, I think this is a good place to start.

Lou Reed - New Sensations (mp3)

On the new-release slate today, Ray Davies pulls out some of the best songs from the Kinks catalog and performs them with the 65-piece Crouch End Festival Chorus on 'The Kinks Choral Collection'. This could have been a big bore, but the songs are too good for that. My favorite Kinks song, 'Waterloo Sunset' is here, but the best moments on the record are from 'The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society', which comprises a huge portion of the LP. There are a few clunkers here, most notably, 'Celluloid Heroes', but aging Kinks fans will find these takes very interesting. In other Kinks news, Davis tells Billboard he has been in the studio with former members Mick Avory, Jim Rodford and Ian Gibbons. Ray's brother Dave, still recovering from a stroke, may also join in on the fun. In other words, we could get a new Kinks record for the first time since 1993. One more tidbit: Davies will perform Nov. 18 on CBS' 'The Late Show with David Letterman'. Set your DVRs!

Ray Davies - Village Green (mp3)

Big Country Chronicles: 'Radio 1 Sessions'

Big Country stopped by BBC Radio 1 twice before their debut album, 'The Crossing', was released. Both of these sessions were chronicled on this eight-song CD that was first released in 1994. It went out of print soon after, and it was reissued with a slightly different cover in 1998. It's, sadly, out of print again, but there are many copies floating around on reseller pages like Amazon and eBay. I just saw it on one of these sites for $1.94.

The first four songs were recorded on Aug. 12, 1982, almost a year before 'The Crossing'. At the time, the band's first single, "Harvest Home", had already modestly charted in the UK (No. 91), but most listeners probably didn't know about Stuart Adamson's new band. It's interesting that of the other three songs performed that day, only one -- "Close Action" -- appeared on 'The Crossing'. "Heart & Soul" showed up as a B-side, and "Angle Park" didn't make it to wax until 1984 on the 'Wonderland' EP.

The band's next Radio 1 appearance, on Feb. 9, 1983, showed a more polished band ready to conquer the world. Although 'The Crossing' wouldn't be released for several months, "Fields of Fire" was out as a single and racing up the charts. Oddly, the band didn't perform the song that day, but all four songs they played were from the debut album. They did "Close Action" again, as well as deep tracks "Inwards", "1000 Stars" and "Porrohman" (spelled "Porroh Man" on this disc). You can't get me to believe this collection isn't worth two bucks. The first two songs below are from the first session, and the second two are from the second session. Enjoy.

Big Country - Heart and Soul (mp3)
Big Country - Angle Park (mp3)
Big Country - Inwards (mp3)
Big Country - Close Action (mp3)

See Also:
Big Country Chronicles: 'Hold the Heart'
Big Country Chronicles: 'One Great Thing'
Big Country Chronicles: 'The Teacher'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Look Away'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Just a Shadow'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Where the Rose Is Sown'
Big Country Chronicles: 'East of Eden'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Wonderland'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Chance'
Big Country Chronicles: 'In A Big Country'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Fields of Fire'
Big Country Chronicles: 'Harvest Home'

First Listen: God Help the Girl's 'Stills'

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Stuart Murdoch's God Help the Girl would be releasing an EP called 'Stills'. The record began as a 10" LP for members of God Help the Girl's subscription service. Now you can purchase the five songs on Amazon and iTunes as a digital download, and I highly recommend it. These are not throwaways, folks. I like them at least as much as the songs on the full-length record, and that's saying a lot since it's looking like the LP will make my year-end best list. I wouldn't mind getting my mitts on that 10" vinyl, too.

God Help the Girl - Stills (mp3)

Cover Me Impressed: 'God Only Knows'

It's no secret 'Pet Sounds' is my favorite album of all time. If you're going to cover any song from Brian Wilson's magnum opus, you had better have the goods. Here are four covers that, to varying degrees, successfully pay homage to this beautiful pop song.

In 1997, Elvis Costello performed this one live at the BBC with the Brodsky Quartet. The show, called 'A Case for Song', was released on DVD in 2007 and is still in print.

David Bowie's cover appeared on 'Tonight'. The 1984 album is generally considered one of his worst, and I won't argue. I thought the verse-to-verse build up and deep vocals were cool. I was only 13 when I got hooked on it. So, this could be a case of nostalgia. As is usually the case, I didn't like the sax.

Quite a few people have asked who covered "Let Your Love Flow" on that Toyota Prius commercial earlier this year. Well, Petra Haden was a vocalist and violinist in the underrated '90s band That Dog. Since then, she has been releasing these really interesting a capella pieces, including the entire 'The Who Sell Out' album. If you end up enjoying her cover of "God Only Knows", you will probably like all of her work. This song is available as a free download on her site.

The Langley Schools Music Project was a chorus of 60 children from a rural school in western Canada, circa 1976 and 1977. The music teacher there, Hans Fenger, used a simple two-track tape deck in the gym to record songs by the likes of The Beatles, Wings, The Beach Boys and David Bowie. Sometimes outsider music can be strange, creepy or just plain bad for the sake of being bad. I think the songs, culled from the two 12" LPs Fenger made for the kids and later released as a collection called 'Innocence & Despair', are full of charm and beauty.

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows (mp3)
Elvis Costello - God Only Knows (mp3)
David Bowie - God Only Knows (mp3)
Petra Haden - God Only Knows (mp3)
The Langley Schools Music Project - God Only Knows (mp3)

A Plea to Jason Falkner

Since the release of the new, Jason Falkner-produced
Daniel Johnston record, I have been thinking a lot about one of my biggest power-pop heroes. Falkner has been in great bands like Jellyfish and The Grays, played with legends like Paul McCartney, Air and Beck and put out legendary solo albums like 'Presents Author Unknown'. So, why haven't I been able to purchase new music by him since the 'Bliss Descending' EP way back in 2004?

Falkner has actually had two full-length pop albums since then, 'I'm OK... You're OK' in 2007 and 'All Quiet on the Noise Floor' earlier this year, but both were released in Japan on Noise Recording Records. I have been waiting a loooong time for 'I'm OK... You're OK' to be released domestically, and we have been promised several times that it is about to come out. The last date we were given was early August 2009. When that date passed, we were told it would be out by the end of the year. Well, 2009 is rapidly coming to an end, and my patience is growing thin. As for 'All Quiet on the Noise Floor', Falkner has asked his American fans not to buy the Japanese import and wait for the domestic release. Record sales here, he argues, will help with the expense of touring the United States. Jason, I'm not sure I can wait years for this one. For those of you not familiar with his work, here's why. Listen to these gems. Then get in line like the rest of us.

Jason Falkner - I Live (mp3) (from Presents Author Unknown)
Jason Falkner - Holiday (mp3) (from Can You Still Feel?)
Jason Falkner - Eloquence (mp3) (from Everyone Says It's On)
Jason Falkner - The Neighbor (mp3) (from Bliss Descending)
Jason Falkner - Hurricane (mp3) (from I'm OK... You're OK)