6/29/09

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG

MP3 Mondays on MOTORCITYBLOG
Photo by Paul Hitz

take a look / listen

Canadian songbird Melissa McClelland is about to release Victoria Day, her third full-length album produced by husband Luke Doucet. For a taste of what to expect, check out the MP3 of her beautiful duet with Ron Sexsmith “Seasoned Lovers.”And if you haven’t already, be sure to give the gritty and sassy “GlenRio” a listen.

If These Trees Could Talk

Above The Earth, Below The Sky Available NOW

If These Trees Could Talk return with their long awaited full length album “Above the Earth, Below the Sky.” Recorded during the summer of 2008 under the watchful eye of Tim Gerak (6P7), the album is a dark emotional journey that picks up where the debut EP left off. With the roots of the album firmly planted within the industrial boomtown of Akron, Ohio, The Trees have made every effort to evoke the desperation and triumph felt by a city in despair and rebirth.

Utilizing a dynamic range of auditory explorations fluctuating from delicate to deafening The Trees have once again provided their listeners a primed and ready canvas upon which they may paint their own visions of chaos and serenity. The types of images only seen when our eyes are closed or when the true nature of a world operating under insanity and irrationality is exposed.While maintaining integrity in their music, The Trees have managed to forge their own artistic path in the face of many gimmick and copy-cat bands. They have managed to self-release and maintain steady sales of both their albums to date, while pairing up with The Mylene Sheath to release their albums in the vinyl format to rave reviews around the globe.In addition, The Trees have solidified their presence in the post-rock world by licensing “Malabar Front” from their 2006 EP for inclusion in the online trailer for the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 release “inFamous”.

MP3 Download"What's In The Earth Belongs To You" http://www.sendspace.com/file/wlhn12
Download Beach House (MP3)

After recording and performing live with such musical juggernauts as David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Perry Farrell, Moby, and Ronnie Spector, The Tall Pines brings Petruk's silky alto to the forefront. Described by NPR as sounding like "the lost sister of Dusty Springfield" with a voice that has the ability "to melt the frost off your windshield," Petruk’s singing perfectly compliments Davis’ clever songwriting and the band’s skillful backing. Campfire Songs moves seamlessly between raucous, foot stomping jams on songs like "Good Woman" and "Seniorita" to such crooning country ballads as the aptly titled, "No One Sings Like You." Those longing for the nostalgia of country music’s past eras along with those who have an appreciation for such modern day acts as Jenny Lewis or She & Him can easily find something to love in The Tall Pines timeless sound.

Original Stranglers Front Man Hugh Cornwell Releases New Album, Hooverdam Available for Free Download!(In Stores September 8, 2009; Invisible Hands Music)

See Cornwell on tour in September

Hugh Cornwell is a man of the people.


The original vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter for punk and new-wave legends The Stranglers, has made his new album, Hooverdam, available for free download to anyone and everyone… right now!

The music is available worldwide from Hugh’s website , which can be viewed in twelve languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Mandarin, Turkish, Italian and Japanese), making Hugh’s music freely available to most of the world’s population.Why make it available for free? “Everything that’s ever been recorded or filmed is now online and free – whether the copyright owners like it or not, and any work of artists that is honest – either from decades ago or right now – has intellectual value that will always translate into monetary value,” explains Charles Kennedy, head of Invisible Hands Music.

This is a great record, made without ProTools, AutoTune, or any other piece of performance-enhancing stuff. It comes from the heart of a great thinker, writer and musician, and will be shared and listened to for decades to come. Physical copies will be available on vinyl and as a triple-sleeved digi-pak CD/DVD, which will contain Hugh’s film “Blueprint,” featuring live studio performance inter-spliced with an interview with Hugh at the Tate Gallery in London. Both Hooverdam and “Blueprint” were recorded in Toerag Studios with producer Liam Watson (best known for producing the White Stripes’ Elephant).

The music itself is a rollicking mix of rhythm & blues, rockabilly and post-punk. Early on the disc, “Going to the City” rolls and blares like a train shimmying its way down the tracks, a motor-mouthed wordsmith riding on top. “Delightful Nightmare” follows, slinking into view on a murky bass line to tell the tale of a ghostly lover.


Closing out the album, Hugh gives us jangly guitars, a surprise saxophone solo and a dose of punk attitude in “Banging on at the Same Old Beat.” “So give me one more hit / Can’t get enough of it / And if you’re tired of it / Well I don’t give a shit.”

See Hugh Cornwell on Tour in September:
09/08: Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
09/09: Long Branch, NJ @ Brighton Bar
09/10: Washington, DC @ Black Cat
09/11: Bordentown, NJ @ The Record Collector
09/12: New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
09/13: Boston, MA @ TT The Bear's Place
09/15: Montreal, PQ @ TBA
09/16: Hamilton, ON @ This Ain't Hollywood
09/17: Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
09/18: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
09/19: Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
09/20: Chicago, IL @ The Abbey

"Those Darlins will soon be roaming this great nation, bringing all Americans together the only way we know how: sheer freak spectacle. But don't just come see the spectacle, be the spectacle. We want you. We dare you. We, in fact, need you. Have a drink, have a dance. Don’t worry about the environment being intolerant, too cool, too lame, too country, too anything. EVERYONE is invited; you’re one of us."

"It’s Summer 2009, and, damnit, be here with us in the now. Don't let the economic downturn ruin your appetite for some basic human relief: a good time.Say yes... we already have. And we are bringing gifts (records, drinks, maybe even a kiss from our merch-man Byron) to the folks ready to lead the charge with us at every show. Grow some fur, burn your laurels, let us see your inner spirit animal. "

And, until then, enjoy Red Light Love