Mainly Rock

Yesterday I went to see Shellac at the Bataclan. But first I had to endure the opening act: Zone Libre.

I won’t comment on their music, but still… I mean even if your music is instrumental, you are allowed to set up a microphone to say Hello, Thank You and Good Bye. And if you are a rock star (and Serge Teyssot-Gay is, as the former guitarist of Noir Desir, undoubtably one in France) the irony of a "Fuck Rock Stars" T-shirt is totally lost, unless it’s meant be an invitation for groupies…

In case you were wondering, Shellac were great, and amazingly loud…

And I don’t think 22 € for a show at the Bataclan is expensive (people who were there will understand the sense of this remark)

Carling Stage is the smallest stage at the Reading Festival so, some people would probably say it’s the most interesting (or in this case the best). The Main Stage Line-up this year is not so exciting with Razorlight/-shite, the RHCP and the Smashing Pumpkins, but Carling stage is looking good as always.

The three headliners are not to be missed. Albert Hammond Jr is back at Reading after his past triumph with his main band. The Hot Hot Heat are a great live band, and I seem to remember having seen them at Reading on a bigger stage before. The Hold Steady are totally amazing live, even though people can have mixed opinions on their, very Springsteen-sounding, latest album.

Lower down on the list, it’ll be interesting to see Charlotte Hatherley on Sunday, after seeing her former band is playing on the Main Stage on Friday.

Read the rest of this entry »

The final day-by-day line-up for Summercase has been announced. I’m going on Saturday to see JAMC, but I’m also looking forward to see the Chemical Brothers, Kaiser Chiefs, !!!, Jarvis Cocker and Badly Drawn Boy.

I can’t help but be surprised about the presence of James and OMD, but I guess they’re contemporary to JAMC. I’ll probably miss the friday with a special regret for Bromhead’s Jacket and the local (in Barcelona) Delorean.

For the full list read on…

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been listening to the Boxer by The National over the last couple of days. It has received a lot of praise on Pitchfork and Stylus. I think it’s beautiful (which often means boring in my opinion) but lacks a bit of bite. You could also call it soft.

..but I should mention that you are entitled to a free mp3-download of the album, if you but the vinyl.

Just in from the Stereo Total mailing-list:

And in June/July, we will put out our new CD "ParisBerlin", which will be released in Europe by Disko B and in the USA by Kill Rock Stars.

Here you can already watch the cover:

"ParisBerlin" is a rock’n'roll and chanson-album. It is rough and romantic in the same time (like the cover, where Brezel and me are showed as naked lovers). We took care of the melodies. And the lyrics are all about love, rebellion and nostalgy.

You can find more information in German, English and French and some press photos here.

Ever since my life has turned Franco-German (in Berlin), Stereo Total have been part of the soundtrack. I can’t wait for the album and I’m looking forward to see them on tour, although Françoise had a bad day, the last time they played at the Point FMR in Paris.

From the WSJ:

A new five-concert series called "Social" will debut in East Hampton, N.Y., in July, with a pass to all five shows costing $15,000. (Tickets aren’t available for individual shows.) (…) The Social lineup is hardly cutting-edge — it includes Prince, Billy Joel, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and James Taylor. (…) Then again, it’s not just about music: At Social, artists will exhibit, celebrity chefs will cook, parking will cost nothing and seating will include daybeds, ottomans and Moroccan pillows. Social will be marketed as a lifestyle, says Bulldog, to Wall Street executives, Hamptons socialites and the ultrarich.

Most ageing musicians will play anywhere, as long as the money is right, and for the people attending it’s less expensive than to organize a private show in their garden.

http://www.discoversocial.com/ 

 Via: Idolator

Amazon.com launches an DRM-free MP3 download store. (see NYT) I wonder if DRM will still be around at the end of this year.

Of course amazon has been selling "music without copy protection" ever since they started selling CD’s, but that’s just a technical detail…

I don’t know much about Jonathan Coulton, but this article from the NYT is really worth reading. It covers two aspects of how the Internet has changed things.

First is the financial aspects, how musicians can make a living without record labels. An important point to me is how people pay for the music because they want to support the artist:

Indeed, running a Web store has allowed Coulton and other artists to experiment with intriguing innovations in flexible pricing. Remarkably, Coulton offers most of his music free on his site; when fans buy his songs, it is because they want to give him money.

I understand this behaviour, but somehow I wonder if it is a viable approach  going forward… Relying on people paying for something that they could also get for free will stay a niche approach. A bit like non-crippled shareware.

 Another very valid point brought forward by Tad Kubler from the Hold Steady:

Are today’s online artists ruining their own aura by blogging? Can you still idolize someone when you know what they had for breakfast this morning?

People who follow Bob Mould’s blog can read plenty of stuff on his work-out routine and diet, which I would not have considered "rock" in the old days. It’s a strong contrast, for example, to the White Stripes who have maintained a mystery about their lives and thoughts. I am quite undecided myself, which of the two approaches I prefer.

Wired reports on another label that offers free mp3 download to buyers of vinyl. For me this is really the perfect solution. I bought the latest Bright Eyes on vinyl and was very happy about the free mp3 offered by Saddle creek (and the wonderful 180g double LP).

Of, course this has been already reported here. 

Just as election fever has ebbed down a bit here in France, I received a message from the Wilco Mailing list today:

[...]We’re actually asking you to please go out next week and do the right thing for Wilco. That is, vote with your feet and prove the band’s faith well-placed and buy the record. It’s available from Tuesday at all kinds of retailers everywhere. Ask for it by name. It’s also available here, and for those of you who are more digitally inclined, here.[...]

I’ve already voted, as I pre-ordered the vinyl version and the special T-Shirt from wilcoworld a couple of weeks ago (and bought tickets for the concert at the Bataclan). Obviously I’ve also been listening to the album, which was easily found at the usual P2P locations and I recommend it to all of you.

Music can’t be free. Buying CDs/Albums has today indeed become a way of expressing support for you’re favorite band, record shop or whatever…