Morcheeba - Getting a Bit Stale

Although we don't hate the new Morcheeba album, The Antidote, the feeling is that band is really not what it used to be. Maybe it's more about what we wanted them to be. If you've ever seen Zero 7 or Morcheeba live, you really want that captured on record. Both bands have had some recorded highlights, but haven't seemed to take us into complete ecstasy. Here is a enjoyable track, yet good example of what we are talking about. It's like a piece of bread that still looks good, but has hints that it's getting a tad stale.

Morcheeba - "Lighten Up" MP3
Band Website

Fall Down - A Night of Hip Hop and Visual Arts

February, 3 2006 ~ FALLDOWN 5 at Asterisk Art Project
258 Johnson Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11206
Cost: $7
L Train: Exit Montrose Ave - Walk 1 block down to Bushwick to Johnson, make left.

"only the best underground parties you'll ever go to"

DJs:
Milkmoney ( MINDSPRAY )
Addicts

MCs:
SumKid (Vinyl Junkies)
Cypher Syndicate (Ithaca)
Falldown Crew (brokendomer and bisc1)

Graff Art:
YMI and friends

More Info:
http://www.falldowncypher.com/
http://www.asteriskartproject.com/

Grandaddy - Smoked Too Much Pot

After much delay we finally checked out the EP that Grandaddy released over the summer. The reviews weren't kind, and on the first few listens we agree. This is the best track of the bunch.

Grandaddy - "Pull The Curtains" MP3
Support the Artist Here

Update: According to The Oh So Quiet Show Grandaddy has broke up.

More Shows @ the Syrup Room in Bushwick

February 4th: The Subjects, Bravo Silva, End of the World


February 17th: Oxford Collapse, Cause Co-Motion, Meneguar and Centipede E'est

Underrated Blog/Magazine B-day Party

Looks like a good line-up this Friday at Crash Mansion. RSVP to rsvp@newyorkunderbelly.com, and show up before 11pm.

The Underrated Blog

Rushmore - The Soundtrack You Never Heard

Wes Anderson said that he originally wanted an all Kinks soundtrack for Rushmore. At first we didn't think the idea was that good. Then we checked into the Kinks back catalog. Now we know what could have been. The very popular original soundtrack now available, is a favorite to many. Now we'll listen to the soundtrack that never was.

Kinks - "King Kong" MP3
Kinks - "Animal Farm" MP3
Kinks - "Johnny Thunder" MP3
Kinks - "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" MP3
Kinks - "Big Sky" MP3
Kinks - "Wait Until the Summer Comes Along" MP3
Kinks - "So Long" MP3
Kinks - "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me Now" MP3
Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset" MP3
Kinks - "Village Green Preservation Society" MP3
Kinks - "Driving" MP3

Buy the Original Here
More Info About The Kinks

Isobel - Amorino

Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for turning us on to Isobel in one evening. Isobel is the former cellist to with Belle and Sebastian. Besides Amorino, she also has a beautiful album under the name Gentle Waves called Swansong for You. She sings with a whisper, and has an album's worth of well crafted little gems. We may name our first daughter Isobel.

Isobel - "Deus Ibi Est" MP3 (featuring Mark Lanegan)
RIYL: Belle and Sebastian, Air, Joni Mitchell
Both records available on Itunes

Coachella 2006?

We wish....

Flaming Lips New Album

At War With The Mystics will be released on April 4th from Warner Brothers. The record was produced by Dave Fridmann and The Flaming Lips. Track listing is as follows:

01. Yeah Yeah Yeah Song 02. Free Radicals 03. The Sound Of Failure/It's Dark....Is It Always This Dark 04. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion Song 05. Vein Of Stars 06. The Wizard Turns On.... 07. It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small...Do I Stand A Chance? 08. Mr. Ambulance Driver 09. Haven't Got A Clue 10. The W.A.N.D. 11. Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung 12. Goin' On

Tour Dates:
03/11 - Sunrise, FL - Langerado Festival
04/19 - Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall
04/22 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
04/24 - Birmingham, UK - Academy
04/25 - Manchester, UK - Apollo

Band Website Here
Support the Artist Here

More Upcoming Shows @ the Syrup Room

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 21st: Other Passengers, (other bands TBA)
Other Passengers - "In The Belly" MP3

January 27th: Villavina, Comma-keh, Limbs, Proton Proton

January 28th: Black Dice
Black Dice - "Cloud P." MP3
Black Dice - "Seabird" MP3

February 4th: The Subjects, Bravo Silva, End of the World
Bravo Silva - "Can't Say Go" MP3

Mento Madness - The right way to start off each day

Sometimes it's hard to start off your week the right way. Now you can start the work week with a smile. Mento Madness is traditional Jamaican Folk Music, which sounds perfect in your Bushwick Loft. Turn it up, and see what your 6 other roommates think.

Mento Madness(Track 2) - "Dry Weather House" MP3
Mento Madness(Track 12) - "Solas Market" MP3
Buy the Album Here

Fingathing - Criminal Robots

Fingathing - "Criminal Robots" MP3
Here is one more track from Fingathing, good night.

Fingathing - Superhero Music

Recovering from a long weekend was made a bit easier. Thanks to Alicia for turning us on to Superhero Music. Fingathing, another good Ninja Tune artist, sounds like hipster music from the future. This belongs in a Jetsons movie, or theme music for Marvin the Martian. Enjoy!

It seemed a lot of you made it out to see Akron Family and Mi and L'au at Knitting Factory. What a good show that was. We were allowed to have fun with our freak folkness. The Knitting Factory is a bitch to get to, but we've all seen some good shows there.

Fingathing - "Ogre" MP3
Fingathing - "Spacecrumbs" MP3
Support the Artist Here

Built to Spill - You in Reverse

Built to Spill will release a new record, You in Reverse, on April 11th (Warner Brothers). Welcome back!

Tracklist for You In Reverse: 01. Goin' Against Your Mind 02. Traces 03. Liar 04.Saturday 05. Wherever You Go 06. Conventional Wisdom 07. Gone 08. Mess With Time 09. Just A Habit 10. The Wait

You can listen to the first track here

Built to Spill - "The Weather" MP3
Support the Artist Here

Shadow Parade - The Love of Iceland Continues

We asked a friend that lives in Iceland, who is the next biggest thing. To our surprise it was not Bang Gang, Seabear, or Slowblow. The word in Reykjavik is that Shadow Parade, a brand new artist, will have a break out year in 2006. Our friends in Bushwick, who we passed around the track to through AIM, all said good things. Listen for yourself.

Shadow Parade - "Nothing For" MP3
RIYL: Jeff Buckley, Elbow
Band Website

Sia - Our New Angel

...and on the 8th day, God created Sia. There haven't been any good downbeat, smooth female vocals, over lush beasts since Zero 7. This fills that void that Portishead left, by disappearing from the music scene. The Australian born singer is signed to Astralwerks in America, "Colour The Small One" is out now. If you need a lift today, go pick up this cd.

Sia- "Breathe" MP3
RIYL: Zero 7, Portishead, Emiliana Torrini
Support the Artist Here

You can hear the debut album at one of the listening parties:
1/12/2006 - Lucky Strike Lanes, St. Louis, MO
1/13/2006 - Advance Romance @ Silk Bar, Sacramento, CA - 10pm - 2am
1/16/2006 - Buck 15, Miami Beach, FL
1/16/2006 - Crush Orlando @ Back Booth, Orlando, FL
1/21/2006 - Bazzaar, Atlanta GA
1/27/2006 - Wonderland Ballroom, Washington, DC

Dragon City @ Sin-e Last Night

The 5 people that showed up last night at Sin-E, were treated to a fine performance. You have to cut us New Yorkers some slack, the show was 8pm on a Wednesday. Not exactly a time most people are out seeing live music. The band, Dragon City, reminded me of a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Phish. These guys take a little while to get into, but they really suck you in by the time they are finished. Loud pounding bass mixes well with fierce drumming and pedal effects from outer space.

Dragon City - "Rabbitways" MP3
More Band Info

The Veils - Make Love to Your Girlfriend Through Headphones

The Veils singer, Finn Andrews, sounds like he can barely keep from taking his clothes off. There is an aching, a yearning in his voice that spells trouble. Your lonely girlfriend hears these soft, tender, but urgent sounds. Now she is spending more time with her headphones than you!

The Veils -"Lavinia" MP3
RIYL: Arcade Fire, Pulp, Doves
Buy the Album Here

Seabear - Icelandic Air Must Feel Better

One of our favorite new artists. Iceland's Seabear is up for quite a year in 2006. They have just released a split with Grizzly Bear and are working on the follow up to the Singing Arc EP.

From the Seabear Site:
"I can't think of more appropriate music for this cold, rainy day than this. These nine songs of acoustic guitar and piano, gentle vocals, tinkly-winkly mallets, synth flourishes, and restrained percussion"

Seabear / Grizzly Bear have a split 7" available Here

Seabear - "Drunk Song" MP3
Seabear - "Singing Arc" MP3
RIYL: Slow Burn, Shins, Grizzly Bear
Buy the Album Here

OK Computer Reggae Style

From At Ease:
"The Easy Star All-Stars, the musical collective behind 2003's underground hit, 'Dub Side of the Moon', are going to do a complete reggae version of Radiohead's 'OK Computer'. The disc, entitled Radiodread will be released worldwide in September 2006 on Easy Star Records."

We were impressed with the Dub Side of the Moon remake. Now that leads us to wait and wonder how this will turn out. In the mean time you can check out a few tracks from that 2003 release.

Easy Star Allstars - "Speak to Me(feat sluggy ranks)" MP3
Easy Star Allstars - "Brain Damage" MP3
Buy the Album Here

The Truth About Myspace

For you or anyone you know that belongs to Myspace.

Click to find out the truth

Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors

Thank you to the people over at Sanctuary Records for inviting us to the Morrissey listening party. A Group of us was whisked into a private screening room at the exclusive Soho House. We were a little disappointed to find out that "free drinks" meant bottled water. Anyways, the new album sounds absolutely amazing. Produced by Tony Visconti (Bowie, T Rex), and recorded in Rome last year. The album has 12 very strong songs, with the first single being "You Have Killed Me". We should have a copy of the record very soon to share with you. In the meantime we have some highlights from Morrissey's career.

The Tracking listing for Ringleader of the Tormentors:
1. I Will See You In Far-Off Places
2. Dear God Please Help Me
3. You Have Killed Me
4. The Youngest Was The Most Loved
5. In The Future When All's Well
6. The Father Who Must Be Killed
7. Life Is A Pigty
8. I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
9. On The Streets I Ran
10. To Me You Are A Work Of Art
11. I Just Want TO See The Boy Happy
12. At Last I Am Born

Morrissey - "Sunny" MP3
Morrissey - "Death of a Disco Dancer" MP3
Morrissey - "Everyday is Like Sunday" MP3
More Info Here

Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

Well, Pitchfork has put the hammer down on the new strokes album giving it a 5.9. We have to agree with Pitchfork on this one. The strokes have turned into frat party music, sigh.

Strokes - "You Only Live Once" MP3
Strokes - "Electricityscape" MP3
Buy First Impressions of Earth Here

Decemberists - Picaresque

You probably made fun of Collin Meloy in high school. He wore glasses, and he was always reading, and he really sucked at sports. But all that reading kind of helped when he started writing songs. And know he's got this band, and they just signed with Capitol Records.

In Picaresque the Decemberists channel all that bookish charm into a series of delightfully clever adventure songs. Each song is its own short story, and Collin takes on the persona of each protagonist. Songs are carefully sculpted to evoke the emotions most intrinsic to their story. What is left is a mix of quirky nostalgia songs, tales of revenge, and elegies to lost loves. With an unbeatable mix of wit, creativity, ane energy the Decemberist have produced one of this year's best albums.

Decemberists - "The Engine Driver" MP3
Decemberists - "The Sporting Life" MP3
Buy the Album

Lonely Sea

A rare gem from Brian Wilson. Someone should put this on a soundtrack.

Beach Boys - "Lonely Sea" MP3
Support the Artist

Levy - "Rotten Love" Single of the Year

Levy won our poll for single of the year with 17 votes. We now offer you 3 tracks from their "Rotten Love" album. Thanks to all that voted.

Levy - "Rotten Love" MP3
Levy - "On The Dance Floor" MP3
Levy - "See Saw" MP3
Support the Artist

2006

Happy New Years Everyone! Hopefully your hangover isn't as bad as ours.