Let’s listen to a song first.

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On September 24, 1991, a little-known band from Seattle released a CD called Nevermind. Nothing was ever the same again.

Today, if we choose to listen, we’ll hear a great deal about America, about the last decade, about the lessons we’ve learned. Football will be played. Flags will be waved. Tears will be shed.

And tomorrow we’ll be exactly what we were yesterday, only moreso. Maybe today is a bad time for critiques. Or maybe it’s the perfect time. Hard to say. But if you find a few minutes today and need a breather, here are some innocent distractions for you.

First, it’s true – we’re all living in Amerika.

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I’m heading out for a friend’s all-day bachelor party event here in a few minutes. Back when I was DJing I did a lot of wedding receptions, and I always made sure to play three songs. Somehow, I never got punched once. So in honor of my buddy’s upcoming nuptials, here’s a matrimonial threefer.

First, I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll.

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I think we all understand that Stacy’s mom has got it going on.

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This morning I got an e-mail from a colleague who’s working with the American Dream Movement. Said friend is all-in with the goals and values of the project, but is stepping cautiously where Van Jones, the movement’s leader, is concerned. It’s nothing against Jones personally, I don’t think – my friend seems to admire him a great deal and thinks he’s exceptionally bright and committed. Instead, it’s more a case of the current boyfriend paying for the sins of the last boyfriend. We all know how that goes. Your last boyfriend – let’s call him “Barry” – promised you the sun, the moon and the stars and then he hopped in bed with all the mean girls in the school. How can you ever trust a boy again? Full story »

If you’re like me, you appreciate it when musicians work to innovate, to come up with cool new sounds and things that we haven’t heard before. But there’s that old saying: “there is nothing new under the sun,” and that goes double for music. Even the best and most creative artists are really just synthesizing old influences in novel ways, right?

Sometimes we get movements that are heavy on the revivalist, though, and in the past few years we’ve seen a real doozy in all the various iterations of Neo-Soul. Honestly, some of the acts are ethically little more than Holiday Inn cover bands, but damn damn, damn, the best of these bands are just fantastic, even if you think you’ve heard it all before. Full story »

A few weeks ago SVR featured some of the top CDs of the year to date, and I suggested that maybe I’d be back with some more of the best so far. And what do you know, here I am, just in time to help you put together your holiday weekend cookout playlist. So without further ado…

I’ve mentioned Baron Bane a time or six to all my Facebook friends, but I’m not sure I’ve shared the awesomeness of this Swedish indie outfit with the wider S&R audience. Consider them shared – this disc is simply remarkable. Go listen to the rest of it.

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Heading down to the First Friday event in the Highlands Gallery District here in a bit, and am very much looking forward to seeing mentalswitch’s eyePhone show at Sports Optical. You’ve seen some of his iPhone art here before, in fact, and tonight – lots more. Head this way, Denver folks.

Meanwhile, I’m ramping up for the evening with some new tuneage. Just downloaded last year’s Fitz & the Tantrums CD and I’m rapidly falling in love. Here are a couple of samples.

Y’all have a good one, y’hear? And if I don’t see you, happy 4th. I’ll be doing barbecue, Lexington style, with some good friends. You won’t be eating as well as we are, but have fun the best you can…. Full story »

Oh, I wish I could “sing” this well …

A variety of things have been calling me back to the great rock of my youth today, so I thought I’d share.

First off, fellow scrogue Dr. Jim Booth reminded us this morning via Facebook that today is the birthday of Sir Paul McCartney. As I noted on my own FB page, I have often been critical of Paul’s post-Beatles work, accusing it of being frivolous. I mean, come on, “Coming Up”? Still, it would be wrong to let a few iffy songs cause me to denigrate a wonderful career, especially when that career includes stuff that’s just fuckin’ awesome. Like this.

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Each year I write my annual Best CDs series and along the way I usually have an article or two about some of the bands that turn up on that list. Today I want to acknowledge a few of the year’s best releases to date. This isn’t comprehensive, by any stretch, but if you’re looking for some new tunes to explore on a beautiful June weekend, here’s a place to start.

Up first, hot off last night’s appearance in the Big Apple, Doco does “Cocoa Beach Blues” live on 11 O’Clock Rock. The new disc is entitled Stereo Chemistry.

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When we think about rock & roll and its various derivative styles, we pretty much think of the US and UK. And why not – just about every thread of the popular music universe has arisen in one of the two countries. But when you invent something cool, everybody is going to want to play, which is why you can find outstanding acts from all over the world these days.

This morning I was trying to decide what CD to pick up to round out my monthly eMusic selections and I noticed that I had saved The Asteroids Galaxy Tour for further review. Funky, trippy CD, sorta like Saint Etienne high on an Ecstasy/Nitrous Oxide cocktail. I had wondered about their background, so I hit teh Googles and discovered that hey, they’re from Copenhagen. Which made me think – there are some other Danish bands I like a lot, too. So let’s take a few minutes and celebrate the Danes, shall we? (All of them except Pay Lars, anyway – he got his.) Full story »

2011 is already shaping up to be a great year for new music. Esben & the Witch’s greatly anticipated debut really delivers, Adele’s sophomore effort is a strong step forward, and Wire is back, after all these years, with an outstanding effort that manages a sound that’s both contemporary and true to their New Wave heritage. A fantastic new REM disc drops next week, I believe, and IAMX’s new one lands March 18. The Lost Patrol is hinting at a 2011 release, and Green Day is slated for a new one, as well. Verily, my cup runneth over.

One of my favorites of 2011 so far is 4am from Buffalo’s Dotsun Moon. I’ve always been a sucker for bands descended from the Portishead side of the trip-hop family tree (oddly, I like many of these artists more than Portishead themselves), and Mary Ognibene’s understated, sultry delivery hits me right between the, ummm, well, let’s just say eyes here to avoid any trouble with the broadcast standards department, shall we? Full story »

Gods, this is feckin’ brilliant. In fact, it’s so good I could have sworn I heard three cellos at one point. NOTE: No children were molested during the recording of this song…

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Yesterday S&R revealed its Best of 2010 Platinum LPs. Since, as a famous man once said, “you can’t get the sound from a story in a magazine aimed at your average teen,” today we’re going to offer you some sounds. And sights. Click. Enjoy. And if you like what you hear click back over to yesterday’s post where we have linked to more information and samples.

Up first: the inimitable Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings:

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Today would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday. In his honor, S&R is hosting a monster mashup party. Let’s get it started in here.

Item 1: Guns? Screw guns. What we need is a mandatory five-day waiting period for the purchase of any audio or video editing software. Then again, happiness is a warm gun, they say. Although this is more about hammers and polyester than powder and hot lead.

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Probably my favorite ad on TV right now – I think it’s even better than the much-vaunted Old Spice campaign.

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Just because. Happy Saturday.

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Firefly fans rejoice – they finally got the opening credits right!

Thx to Lara Amber for the link.