Greg Dulli - Greg Dulli's Amber Headlights

Album Of The Day:

Greg Dulli - Greg Dulli's Amber Headlights (2005)

Comments: Greg Dulli is in my opinion one of the greatest front men in rock n roll history. He was in the Afghan Whigs and is currently in The Twilight Singers and The Gutter Twins. His mix of rock and soul music is one of my favorite sounds. Greg Dulli's Amber Headlights however was almost never released because Dulli's close friend and film director Ted Demme passed away. This death of his close friend made Dulli decide to start the Twilight Singers album Blackberry Belle. It took almost three years for Amber Headlights to be released and I am so glad it was.

Here's a live video somebody took back in 2003 at a Twilight Singers show where they play the song "Domani":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE9YSG-nzm0

Favorite Tracks:

Domani

Black Swan

So Tight

Pussywillow

Golden Sun

Cigarettes

-Rabbit Approved

Muddy Waters - Folk Singer

Album Of The Day:

Muddy Waters - Folk Singer (1964)

Comments: Without a doubt Muddy Waters Folk Singer is one of the greatest folk blues records. It's an album that I have been listening to all winter. It's also an album with an amazing overall feel from start to finish. Folk Singer also contains some other amazing musicians backing Muddy Waters such as Willie Dixon on string bass, Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar and Clifton James on Drums. This is an amazing late night record to kick back to.

Favorite Tracks:

Feel Like Going Home

My Captain

My Home Is The Delta

Long Distance

Country Boy

-Rabbit Approved

The Breeders - Pod

Album Of The Day:

The Breeders - Pod (1990)

Comments: The Breeders album Pod was engineered by Steve Albini. Albini finds this album to be one of his best recordings both for performance and sound. Kurt Cobain was heavily influenced by this album at the time as well. He was also heavily influenced by the Pixies which Kim Deal was also in at the time. The lineup of the band at the time of the Pod's release was Kim Deal (the Pixies) on guitar/vocals, Tanya Donelly on guitar/vocals (Throwing Muses), Britt Walford on drums/vocals (Slint) and Josephine Wiggs (Honey Tongue) on bass/vocals. Pod is an album that is just as important for it's time and place as Nirvana's Nevermind. The album also contains one of the greatest Beatle's covers of the song "Happiness Is A Warm Gun."

Here is a link to the Breeders cover of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo5iSQ_ff88

Favorite Tracks:

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Iris

Oh!

Hellbound

Fortunately Gone

-Rabbit Approved

Polvo - In Prism

Album Of The Day:

Polvo - In Prism (2009)

Comments: Polvo formed in 1990 by guitarists/vocalists Ash Bowie, Dave Brylawski, Steve Popson on bass and Eddie Watkins on drums. Ash Bowie would later play bass for Helium after their bass player departed. Polvo's sound could be considered post-rock or at times noise rock. In Prism is their first album since 1997. It is an album that I can not get enough of and upon it's release was very excited about. Polvo is a terribly overlooked rock band.

Favorite Tracks:

Lucia

A Link In The Chain

The Pedlar

Dream Residue/Work

-Rabbit Approved

Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come

Album Of The Day:

Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come (1959)

Comments: The Shape Of Jazz To Come is one of the first avant-garde jazz records and it still holds up amazingly. It's also a record that features some unbelievable improvisation by not only Coleman on alto saxophone but also Don Cherry on cornet, Charlie Haden on double bass and Billy Higgins on drums. . It also was a key album in starting the free jazz movement. I still find it to be one of the best I've ever heard. Ornette Coleman is where it's at there is no question.

Favorite Tracks:

Entire Album

-Rabbit Approved

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C.

Album Of The Day:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C. (2001)

Comments: When I was getting into these guys back in the day I always felt there albums had a certain tension and in a way it always felt like these guys may not be around in a few years to come. I do not know why it felt this way but it always has since this first release. I am so happy they are still around and making great records and I am always excited for a new Black Rebel Motorcycle Club album. If you're into garage rock and psychedelia this band is for you.

Favorite Tracks:

Rifles

Red Eyes And Tears

Love Burns

White Palms

-Rabbit Approved

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory

Album Of The Day:

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)

Comments: I always loved Creedence but it wasn't until recently that I realized their true power. Creedence Clearwater Revival have some incredibly hard edged songs and they keep it incredibly simple at the same time. Cosmo's Factory blows my mind every time. There is nothing better than some rock n roll circa 1970 every once in a while.

Favorite Tracks:

Run Through The Jungle

Up Around The Bend

Ramble Tamble

-Rabbit Approved

Owen - Owen

Album Of The Day:

Owen - Owen (2001)

Comments: It looks like it's 2001 week in my life and also a week of self titled albums. Owen's self titled debut is a desert island album for me. It is one of the most beautiful and moving records. Owen is Chicago native Mike Kinsella who was also released a record and EP with American Football as well as played in Cap'n Jazz and Joan Of Arc with his brother Tim Kinsella to name a few. This record has lots of acoustic guitars and beautiful melodies. It has been on constant rotation for the past half a decade of my life.

Favorite Tracks:

Entire Album

-Rabbit Approved

Elliott Smith - New Moon

Album Of The Day:

Elliott Smith - New Moon (2007)

Comments: Though New Moon came out in 2007 the songs were recorded from 1994 to 1997 and of course before Elliott Smith passed away. This collection of songs is actually some of my favorite of Smith's material. Sometimes artist collections of rarities are hit and miss but I really connect with these songs. The entire album has a wonderful overall feel. This beautiful collection is not to be missed.

Favorite Tracks:

High Times

New Monkey

All Cleaned Out

Riot Coming

Going Nowhere

Looking Over My Shoulder

Thirteen

-Rabbit Approved

Gorillaz - G-Sides

Album Of The Day:

Gorillaz - G-Sides (2001)

Comments: The past two days while on my nostalgia Gorillaz kick I pulled out the G-Sides album which compiles b-sides and some additional tracks from the self titled Gorillaz album from yesterdays post. The song "Faust" was always one of my favorites by the group.

Favorite Tracks:

Faust

12d3

Hip Albatross

-Rabbit Approved

Gorillaz - Gorillaz

Album Of The Day:

Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)

Comments: The first Gorillaz album is perhaps one of the most nostalgic albums for me to listen to. I can remember specific places I was and people I was with when songs were playing around the time of this release back in 2001. The summer following the release of this album the song "Clint Eastwood" was playing almost everywhere I went and at all the parties I attended. To think that was almost a decade a ago now is very strange to me. After stepping away from this album for a while I put it on, listened all the way through and surprisingly it holds up very well. It is probably my favorite Damon Albarn project and I am a fan of the other projects he's been involved with such as Blur and The Good, The Bad & The Queen. The Gorillaz since the time of their first release did a great job of mixing and blurring genres like Hip-hop, Dub, Rock, Reggae, Punk and Latin music. It is also hard to go wrong with hip-hop artist Del The Funky Homosapien. A great record to get in the mood for the approaching spring and summer.

Here is a link to the music video for "Tomorrow Comes Today" that will bring you back to 2001:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loTV8_veiEY

Favorite Tracks:

Tomorrow Comes Today

5/4

Dracula

Clint Eastwood

-Rabbit Approved

The Cure - The Top

Album Of The Day:

The Cure - The Top (1984)

Comments: The Top is in many ways the forgotten Cure album. Shortly before this creating The Top while on the tour for the album Pornography bassist Simon Gallup and singer/guitarist Robert Smith got into a fist fight in a nightclub with one another, supposedly over a bar tab. Gallup left the band for a brief period after that incident. The Top is the closest thing to a Robert Smith solo album because of the turbulence within the band at the time. Smith plays almost all of the instruments on the album.

The Top has a very psychedelic quality about it. Listening to the album it is very apparent that drugs and drink were most likely at an all time high in 1984. This is even more apparent on the second disc of the Deluxe Version in the demos. This is also not a bad thing, the album definitely has a vibe. It's too bad they rarely perform any of these songs live except "Shake Dog Shake."

Favorite Tracks:

Dressing Up

Shake Dog Shake

The Top

Birdmad Girl

Give Me It

Throw Your Foot [Studio Demo]

- Rabbit Approved

The Residents - The King And Eye

Album Of The Day

The Residents - The King And Eye (1989)

Comments: The Residents have always made concept albums and this is the first one before they got super into their multimedia era. The concept behind this one was a look at the darker side of Elvis. This album pretty much sounds like Elvis on cough syrup and inhalants. It's wonderful.

Concert: Saw The Residents tonight at the Logan Square Auditorium on their Talking Light tour. They performed the delusions of a crazy old man talking about invisible people and talking to scary people in mirrors among other craziness.

Favorite Tracks:

All Shook Up

Blue Suede Shoes

Heartbreak Hotel

- Rabbit Approved

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Album Of The Day:

Orchestral Manoeuvers In the Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark (1980)

Comments: The OMD song "Almost" haunts my dreams and is never far from my mind. I would kill to travel back in time to hear this song live and see this band in the early 80's.

Here is a link to OMD playing "Almost" live in 1981: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCervNqQonc

Favorite Tracks:

Almost

Electricity

- Rabbit Approved

Lou Barlow - Emoh

Album Of The Day:

Lou Barlow - Emoh (2005)

Comments: On Emoh which is the first solo album by Lou Barlow he moves away from the indie rock sounds of Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. Emoh is much more of a neo-folk album that comes across very intimate. Lou Barlow has now helped shape indie rock for decades and I find this to be one of his best efforts. Great fall/winter album.

Barlow also does a cover of "Round And Round" by Ratt which is pretty amusing and yet pretty great.

Favorite Tracks:

Puzzle

Royalty

Round And Round

- Rabbit Approved

The Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup

Album Of The Day:

The Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup (1973)

Comments: Goats Head Soup is one of the most honest of Rolling Stones records. There are songs that I feel really give you a look what the band was most likely like in the early seventies. I have talked to a few other people that find this album to be one of the weaker albums from this period in the Rolling Stones career but after giving it many listens as of late I find it to be one of the greatest. "Coming Down Again" is also one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs of all time and perhaps the best singing Keith Richards has ever done. A perfect tune.

Favorite Tracks:

Coming Down Again

Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)

Dancing With Mr. D

Angie

Winter

- Rabbit Approved

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Album Of The Day:

Yeasayer - Odd Blood (2010)

Comments: Odd Blood is the latest sophomore album by Yeasayer and it is a release I am very excited about. Odd Blood is in some ways more catchy and pop oriented than All Hour Cymbals which was also a wonderful release. Odd Blood surpassed my expectations and is perhaps the best experimental pop record I've heard yet this year. I can not get these songs out of my head.

Here is a link to the music video for the song "Ambling Alp":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_25bsKcXw5o&feature=related

Unfortunately they censored the nude people but the video is trippy all the same.

Favorite Tracks:

O.N.E

Madden Red

Ambling Alp

Love Me Girl

The Children

-Rabbit Approved

Beck - Modern Guilt

Album Of The Day:

Beck - Modern Guilt (2008)

Comments: On Modern Guilt Beck collaborates with Danger Mouse to make an album that I found to be very different than anything he's done in the past. Maybe that's what Beck is best at changing his sound within a style that is his own. Because I have always found even though Beck has changed his style many times all the albums still have a certain Beck sound. Modern Guilt is no exception to this and Danger Mouse does a great job of making the album sound interesting and complimenting Beck's style. The album has an almost psych/surf rock style. Their are always two contributions to the album by Cat Power on the songs "Walls" and "Orphans." I will admit it did take me almost a month to warm up to Modern Guilt but now that I have it very well maybe my favorite Beck album to put on.

Favorite Tracks:

Walls

Youthless

Modern Guilt

-Rabbit Approved

Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast

Album Of The Day:

Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast (2006)

Comments: Andrew Daniel and Matin Schmidt are what make up the group Matmos. The music is often glitchy, tripped out electronic music. On the 2006 Matmos release The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast they dedicate each song to other artists and people that have inspired them such as William S. Burroughs, Darby Crash, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Larry Levan, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Boyd McDonald and Joe Meek just to name a few.

Favorite Tracks:

Roses And Teeth For Ludwig Wittgenstein

Steam And Sequins For Larry Levan

Rag For William S. Burroughs

Public Sex For Boyd McDonald

Germs Burn For Darby Crash

-Rabbit Approved

Porcupine Tree - The Incident

Album Of The Day:

Porcupine Tree - The Incident (2009)

Comments: Porcupine Tree's albums normally follow a concept through out the entire album. Their last album Fear Of A Blank Planet dealt with the concept of detachment in youth and this one continues with the concept of detachment. The Incident from a sound design aspect sounds amazing and Porcupine Tree are really pros at getting sound very interesting sounds out of their instruments in a pleasantly prog type way.

Favorite Tracks:

The Incident

Great Expectations

Circle Of Manias

-Rabbit Approved

The Album Leaf - A Chorus Of Storytellers

Album Of The Day:

The Album Leaf - A Chorus Of Storytellers (2010)

Comments: The Album Leaf is mainly guitarist Jimmy LaValle who is also a part of the post-rock group Tristeza. He has been making beautiful music in the Album Leaf since 1998 and A Chorus Of Storytellers is no exception. It is a beautiful and at times glitchy album. His use of electronic sounds are always very pretty and tasteful and go wonderfully with his guitar work. This really is an album of beauty and melancoly but at the same time is very hopeful and up lifting.

The Album leaf always has the coolest opening tracks.

Favorite Tracks:

Perro

Blank Pages

Falling From The Sun

Within Dreams

-Rabbit Approved

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ask Forgiveness

Album Of The Day:

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ask Forgiveness (2007)

Comments: The only Bonnie 'Prince' Billy original on Ask Forgiveness is "I'm Loving The Streets." The rest of the album is covers showing Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's diverse musical taste and he transformers them all into his own beautiful style. The Covers he does of Danzig's "Am I Demon?" and R. Kelly's "The World's Greatest" are truly beautiful and amazing.

Favorite Tracks:

Am I Demon? (Danzig)

The World's Greatest (R. Kelly)

I'm Loving The Streets (Will Oldham)

-Rabbit Approved

Lights - Rites

Album Of The Day:

Lights - Rites (2009)

Comments: The band Lights sound comes across as the Drag City psychedelic version of Abba. Which to me is just amazing. Lights opened for The Entrance Band last night at the Empty Bottle in Chicago and they where amazing. They're album is also one that I have been listening to since it was released and when I found out they were opening for The Entrance Band it sealed the deal as far as being at the show no matter what. Rites is a great album that grooves and that I can just not get enough of.

Here is a link to the music video for "Fire Night":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUfjPR4wCqQ

Favorite Tracks:

Can You Hear Me?

Fire Night

Love

-Rabbit Approved

The Entrance Band - The Entrance Band

Album Of The Day:

The Entrance Band - The Entrance Band (2009)

Comments: The Entrance Band latest self titled album has been in constant rotation for me since it came out. Guy Blakesee is a great song writer and creates some of the coolest psych rock around. I saw them play a show this evening a Empty Bottle and it was one of the best shows I have been to most likely ever. The energy of the band is out of this world. Paz Lenchantin and Derek James are an amazing rhythm section. Lenchantin continues to be a rock goddess and continues to be one of my favorite rock bass players. The show was amazing and I will see them anytime they come to Chicago.

Here is a link to the music video for the song "Lookout!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5cGp2iXywc

Favorite Tracks:

Grim Reaper Blues (pt. 2)

Lookout!

Still Be There

You're So Fine

-Rabbit Approved

Danzig - Thrall-Demonsweatlive

Album Of The Day:

Danzig - Thrall-Demonsweatlive (1993)

Comments: Thrall-Demonsweatlive consists of three studio tracks and four live tracks. The only cover he does here is the Elvis Presley song "Trouble" which is quite heavy here and he makes his own. This EP really shows how great Danzig is as a song writer. I've always felt even when in the Misfits or Samhain Danzig's songs where songs that everyone could relate to even though they talked about monsters. Danzig is better than Dylan to me.

Favorite Tracks:

Am I Demon

Sistinas

Trouble

-Rabbit Approved

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

Album Of The Day:

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side (2006)

Comments: Fear Is On Our Side is the debut full length album by I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness. Paul Barker of the band Ministry produced the album. The result of this collaboration between the Austin band and Barker is very pleasing to me. The album remains dark in texture throughout and never ceases to be interesting. I would like to see where I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness go from here.

Favorite Tracks:

According To Plan

The Ghost

Lights

The Owl

-Rabbit Approved

Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound

Album Of The Day:

Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound (2006)

Comments: Excellent Italian Greyhound's title is a tribute to drummer Todd Trainer's dog. The album. Shellac remain one of the most aggressive and interesting bands to come from chicago. Steve Albini's productions have a very impressive and unique sound that I really love. Todd Trainer is also most likely my favorite drummer of all time. Bob Weston also kills on bass.

Here is an awesome video from the Burn To Shine series of Shellac playing "Steady As She Goes" in an abandon house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WpdNOPDBro

Favorite Track:

Steady As She Goes

Elephant

-Rabbit Approved