... but you had better hurry. It's up on Wilco's Web site for one day only. Listen now. If you miss it, you'll have to wait for the regular release of 'The Whole Love' on Sept. 27. Preorder here. Sounds like a lot more keyboards and experimentation this time around. As someone who sorely misses the late Jay Bennett, this is great news. Sure is great to hear Jeff Tweedy's voice again, isn't it?
August was sort of quiet here at LTL! The beginning of the month was filled with a family vacation, followed closely by a long visit by my mother. Well, Mrs. LTL! is overseas on business, and the kids start school on Tuesday. So, I'm ready to talk new tunes once again, as well as share a few lists, including my favorite albums from the '80s (coming soon!). As for today, I wanted you to hear a couple of new songs that I'm really digging.
As I mentioned at the close of 2010, Mike Peters, frontman for the Alarm, took a turn as Big Country's lead vocalist for a special New Year's Eve show. By all accounts, that appearance went very well. So well, in fact, they have played several more shows in 2011. One Edinburgh show from April even became a double-CD, double-DVD package called 'Dreams Stay With You.' Now it has been announced Peters is a permanent member of the band. Big Country will be releasing it's first single in this new incarnation on Monday, and Steve Lillywhite, producer of the band's brightest moment, 'The Crossing,' is once again at the controls. It's all very exciting, especially for me, as this is the band I have posted the most about here at Linear Tracking Lives!
Perhaps I should just go ahead and make this blog an ode to Nick Lowe, eh? In case you missed it, there was a very cool live set from Rockpile released this week. In 1980, a short time before splitting up, Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams graced the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. A quick inspection of the tracklist will give fans of these four fellas goosebumps. When you think of it, however, it should have been better.
I hope you're not sick of my constant harping about this, but here's some more news on the Nick Lowe front. His upcoming album, 'The Old Magic,' comes out Sept. 13, but if you preorder from Yep Roc, you will be sent two songs from the set, "Checkout Time" and "Somebody Cares for Me," right now. While you're thinking over that sweet offer, you can stream one of those songs below. Have you checked out the tracklist? I just did, and I'm happy to report that "Poisoned Rose" is, indeed, a cover of the Elvis Costello song from 'King of America,' my second-favorite album from his vast catalog.
Even if you're a fan of Brian Wilson, if you don't have kids, this may not be very interesting news. I'm a father of two young boys, and one of them is a Disney fanatic. So, I'm ecstatic. On Oct. 25, the legendary Beach Boy is releasing an album of Disney tunes. 'In the Key of Disney' is Wilson's second release on the Disney Pearl imprint and the first to feature songs from Disney movies. You may recall the first album he did for ol' mouse ears was his take on Gershwin tunes. Wilson is again backed by Paul Von Mertens, Jeffrey Foskett, Wondermints and the rest of the usual suspects. That's always good news.
Good ol' NPR. I don't care what the right-wing Republicans say about ya. If you're streaming the entire new album from Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, then you're OK in my book. Listen to 'Mirror Traffic' right here. You can preorder the LP now. The official release date is Aug. 23. Won't be long now...
In my humble opinion, Jens Lekman recorded the top song of the past decade. So, it's kind of a big deal that my favorite Swede has announced a new five-song EP due out on Sept. 20. That's the art you see above. Lekman has taken his sweet time producing new material. His last album, 'Night Falls Over Kortedala' was way back in 2007, and we will have to continue waiting for that elusive full-length LP. I don't care. I'll take what I can get. Besides, his track record of stellar EPs is without peer. Here's a look at the upcoming 'An Argument With Myself' tracklist, as well as tour dates. Yep, there will be a brief American tour, and he's coming to my town. Yippee! Oh, and check out the best song of the last decade, too. You can order that EP here.
Don't forget '120 Minutes' makes its triumphant return to television on MTV2 (Saturday at 1AM east/10PM west). Just like the old days, Matt Pinfield hosts. It will be fun to slow down and park it in front of the television for a couple of hours instead of surfing the Web. Unfortunately, the show is only on the last Saturday of each month. All of that great programming, you know. Ugh. 
Also, to mark the 30th anniversary of MTV's launch (Aug, 1, 1981), all of the surviving original VJs will mark the occasion this weekend (and Monday) with specials on Sirius' 80s on 8 satellite-radio channel. One of the many magical moments will be a re-broadcast of the network's first hour. Should be a blast. Here's a piece about it from Rolling Stone. I sure have missed MTV. It's nice to think about the channel for the first time in many years.
Just five weeks after we got our first listen to a track from the upcoming Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album, the band has given us a second song. Get "Maniac" from the widget below, and look for 'Hysterical' on Sept. 20 here in America. No, these first two songs are not quite up to the material on their debut album, but they are in the neighborhood and worlds better than the last LP.
I was about to go on a rant about how bands with only two proper studio albums don't deserve a best-of album... let alone four of them since 1988... but that's exactly the score as of this week with the release of 'Happy Hour: The Collection' by the Housemartins. 
In honor of R.E.M.'s fourth and last classic album (sorry die-hard fans, but it's true) getting the deluxe treatment earlier this month, let's take a listen to the one cover that appears on 'Lifes Rich Pageant.' Class, here's a little history lesson. The original song is an obscure 1969 B-side of a single called "Sugar on Sunday" by Texas-based band the Clique. If, by some minor miracle, you think you know "Sugar on Sunday," it's probably not this version. The original "Sugar on Sunday" was a deep cut by Tommy James and the Shondells. What's a Shondell? Leave your answer in the comments section.
