tunequest

Sorry for the relative quiet around here lately. I've been on a bit of a holiday. Here's a review posted from a small island ~10,000 miles from home. :: After nearly six years in the musical wilderness, alt-rock godfathers The Breeders are back with a disc called Mountain Battles. And boy is it a good one, but its quality may not be readily apparent on the first few listens. The record, ...

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This is it. The Strokes inaugural recording. I discovered it the other day while browsing the XL Recordings page at eMusic, which at the time this was written, was the only place you could find it (unless you want to pay collectors' prices for a hard copy). Sadly, it seems to no longer be available. Released in 2001, this eleven minute EP features rougher, less unpolished versions of three songs ...

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In my last post, I detailed the ten albums that earned the highest ratings from me during 2007. But while I did find them each to be fantastic recordings, ratings don't necessarily reflect popularity. That is to say that the most highly rated albums might not have been the most often played. Indeed that's not the case. I took data from the past year and ran it through my Impact ...

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Another year come, another year gone. After spending 2006 evaluating the status of my iTunes library and trimming some fat, I took the opportunity in 2007 to explore a lot of new material. And I must say that overall it was a pretty good year for both my library and for music in general. I had added 1,891 songs to my library by the end of October, which marks ...

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I don't know how I missed it, but Ratatat quietly released Loud Pipes as the third single from Classics a couple months ago. The record is out on vinyl only and, in addition to the title track, it features three attractive and compelling b-sides: Loud Pipes (Outtakes). Bears only the slightest resemblance to its namesake. The beat and instrumentation are there, but otherwise, it's a whole other song. Kennedy (e-rock remix). ...

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This past weekend, I saw The Simpsons Movie and must declare that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know it's become a bit of pastime to bemoan the show's decline, but honestly, you won't find much cynicism coming from me with regards to the movie. The plot is straightforward, but fittingly expansive and engrossing for a motion picture. The jokes are actually rather good, largely avoiding the Homer-is-so-grossly-incompetent-that-its-not-funny-anymore humor that ...

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From the soundtrack Singles (1992) This song is among the earliest in The Smashing Pumpkins catalog, recorded in 1992 for the motion picture soundtrack Singles. The film takes place in Seattle and heralds the coming of that city's grunge music, using the local scene as a persistent backdrop the personal and professional turmoil of a bunch of twenty-somethings. Allusions and references to the burgeoning scene abound within the movie. Soundgarden ...

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When Travis covered ...Baby One More Time as tender British comfort rock, it was cute. [audio:070715BabyOneMoreTime.mp3] When Jonathan Coultan did Baby Got Back as a singer/songwriter folk troubadour, it was funny. When The Gourds played Gin n' Juice in up-the-mountain bluegrass style, it was just bizarre. Play:

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B-side from the single Isobel (1995) I've never been in love with Bjork's music. To be sure, Bjork is a consummate artist and I do enjoy and have much respect for the majority of her work; I've just never been part of the "Bjork-is-untouchable" group. But if I were to become part of that club, it would be because of this song. I Go Humble never fails to send me into ...

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