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Projekt A-Ko

By: Charbarred | in: Music | Leave a Comment



In the end of the 90s if your band’s name wasn’t “Radiohead” and you resided in the UK, most chances were that you were busy producing pale Beatles or Stones imitations and receiving high praise from publications that should have known better. Over at Scotland exceptions were being made to the rule. One band in particular was set to liven up the dreary reality with catchy pop tunes coupled with crazy fuzzed out madness. They were called Urusei Yatsura and they only lasted for 3 great albums before they called it quits.

Urusei Yatsura - Hello Tiger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MY1kI43LvM

Skip over a decade or so and Projekt A-Ko rises from the ashes of Urusei Yatsura. It seems that not much has changed. The madness is still there and the pop sensibility still hides behind the walls of screeching guitar mayhem. Projekt A-Ko’s debut album Yoyodyne sounds like Sonic Youth on happy pills and definitely deserves a spin.

Projekt A-Ko - Molten Hearts

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[Projekt A-Ko on MySpace]


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Posted on April 27, 2009

Evidence We Live In An Uncaring Universe

By: DThompson | in: Music | 3 Comments



Pearl Woods was 28 years old and recording with Little Richard’s backup band The Upsetters. She could sing as well as any Motown star, with soul and feeling, and Sipping Sorrow was a great catchy number. This was her ticket, now the world would know her name, and her talent.
Sipping Sorrow was released in 1961 on Charge Records and promptly zoomed off into the ether, unheard and uncared for. Sometimes life is cruel to the manifestly deserving.

Pearl Woods - Sippin’ Sorrow


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Posted on April 25, 2009

How Bert Jansch Has Ruined My Life (Or The Day My Bass Guitar Almost Died)

By: Yaya | in: Music | 5 Comments



bert
[Originally posted on Jemsite]

It was a cold morning in Camden Market, when I entered a local CD shop and browsed through the shelves and the CDs on the display. The year was 2003. I left my homeland Israel to live in London for some time, and to see what life would bring me.

I had a cheap Epiphone acoustic guitar, which I took with me for the lonely moments, and my Rickenbacker bass, that came all the way with me, in order to find a psychedelic rock band, join them, get signed, make records, destroy hotel rooms and live a John Bonham lifestyle, including the fancy cars.
What I didn’t know, was that I’d be in for a big surprise and what they’d call – a lifetime changing moment. That moment happened when I saw, Bert Jansch’s first album on display. He was sitting with a guitar in hand, looking at the occasional consumer in the shop. He had been staring at them  like that since 1965, the year it was released. I had no idea who he was, and no idea why I decided to pick the CD up and take a look at it. It was far from my musical taste back then, which was focused mainly on psych rock bands and singer/songwriters.

Next to his album, there was another album, again, with a guy and a guitar in hand. He wasn’t staring at me, but the two CDs were there next to each other, and something talked me into getting them both. I never took a CD because of a cover, and let’s say it wasn’t THAT pretty of a cover–just plain pictures of musicians that looked, well, plain.

When I came back to my flat, the CDs remained in their plastic bag for three days before that Saturday morning when I decided to play Jansch’s first album. The first three notes on the record, of the song “Strolling Down The Highway”, immediately grabbed my attention. One minute into the song and I knew I’ve never heard anyone playing like that. I was literally, under a spell. After the first listen of the album, I was in such a shock, that I had to check the other CD I bought right away. It was Jackson C. Frank’s sole record. My jaw, couldn’t face the tension, and dropped eventually.

That following week I decided to switch my position. I put the bass guitar in the closet and started thinking of how much I’d get for it and if it would be enough for a Martin D-28. Lucky for me, I didn’t end up selling it  and I still play bass in several of projects and especially in my band Buffalo Boots. But the day I heard Bert Jansch, was the day my life had changed. Completely. I started investigating the fingerpicking world, got to know the alternating bass technique, and practiced endlessly on playing ‘Angie’. From there, it was a rollercoaster.  I compulsively started gathering everything Jansch had ever recorded, and moved onward to more and more guitar players who used that style, like Richard Thompson, Wizz Jones, John Renbourn, Steve Tilston and more and more.

Last month, I released my first album ‘Remember’. It’s a mixture of all the influences I gathered in the past 6 years, moving from British folk to British blues to  Mississippi Delta blues. John Fahey and Robbie Basho are my heroes on the American side of things, and the album combines all of them.

For those of you who aren’t into playing fingerpicking guitar, or who want to investigate the playing of Nick Drake or Paul Simon and even Neil Young’s acoustic guitar playing – go ahead and listen to the names I’ve mentioned, and especially to Bert Jansch. He is THE music for me. Him, and Coltrane of course, but we’ll get to that some other time…

Yair Yona - Broken Rockin’ Chair

[Yair Yona on MySpace]


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Posted on April 21, 2009

Sonic Youth - New Track!

By: Charbarred | in: Music | 2 Comments



Matador records has just made available a spanking new track by Sonic Youth. It’s as good as anything SY has ever done. The guys have also added Mark Ibold (Pavement) on bass, making the upcoming album ‘The Eternal’ even more promising.

Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster

[Download]

Sonic Youth has also anounced a secret gig in the UK along with the ability to pre-order the album if you’re willing to go leave the house and visit an actual good old fashioned record shop.

I personally can’t wait for the next album. Sonic Youth has been producing brilliant albums this decade, and ‘The Eternal’ is sure to be another masterpiece.


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Posted on April 20, 2009

One Eyed Monster Trailer (NSFW)

By: Charbarred | in: Movies | 6 Comments



If you haven’t seen this trailer yet (or heard of the movie), I won’t spoil it for you. All you have to know is that it’s not really safe for work, and that the premise is…well….I’ll let you decide for yourself…

One Eyed Monster Trailer


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Posted on April 20, 2009
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