Al Jardine put off making a solo record as long as he could. After 50 years, the rhythm guitarist and occasional lead vocalist for The Beach Boys finally caved, releasing A Postcard from California in June. Jardine’s first record as part of an ensemble? The Beach Boys first single, “Surfin’,”…
The former Goodie Mobber and Gnarls Barkley frontman is readying a new album, The Lady Killer, set to hit stores December 7. It will be his third solo album and his first since 2004’s Cee-Lo Green Is…the Soul Machine. Head on over to Cee-Lo’s Facebook page and click like (if you…
As much as we like to deny that we were awkward teenagers, the fact remains that we most certainly were. When I think of my own teenage years, I tend to reflect on the music that I really liked. While I started to come around in my late teenage years, the…
Right before people die, they usually say their goodbyes to the people they love. But now some British folks might have one last wish: “turn me into a record, please.”For £2,000, you can ensure that your ashes will be sprinkled into the vinyl, according to Consequence of Sound. A record…
Song: Dirty Projectors, “Stillness Is The Move” (Lucky Dragons remix) Context: Brooklyn-based indie/art rock ensemble Dirty Projectors announced yesterday that they’re re-releasing an “deluxe edition” of their breakthrough 2009 LP Bitte Orca later this month. In addition to the original album, the guaranteed money-maker two-disc set will also feature the…
August just refuses — in any ungodly way possible — to go away. We’re cursed with 31 days of the month, and today, the last and final day of this mess, just had to fall on a Tuesday. What does that mean? Another ho-hum batch of new releases, this time…
Artist: Sonny and the SunsetsTitle: Tomorrow Is AlrightRelease date: August 31Label: Fat PossumFrom the Best Coast school of stoner pop comes Sonny and the Sunsets, a California band with a pop sound so casual that it feels almost tossed off. The beauty in Sonny and the Sunsets’ music is its…
What happens when delicious Mexican food meets the album cover of Billy Joel’s 1980 album Glass Houses? Hilarity. Such is the case for Album Tacos, a fantastic new Tumblr that popped up on the radar this weekend. Rocket science, this ain’t, but it yields some very funny and innovative results…
ong: Sex Robots, “Jet Awesome” Context: While its neato-keen that the eggheads of science have created machines that can play chess, kick a soccer ball, or maintain national defense, there’s undoubtedly and certain segment of the population (read: shut-ins) that are eagerly anticipating the day when fully-functional erotic automatons will…
My head just exploded. JamBase has provided the hookup for Arcade Fire’s new interactive music video for “We Used To Wait” from their album The Suburbs.Arcade Fire shows the world what can be done with HTML5: you can write a postcard to yourself, simultaneously view multiple shots in different pop-up…
By now you’ve probably heard the dozens of promos that KUPD has been running daily for the free Smashing Pumpkins concert they’re putting this coming Thursday night. Billy Corgan and his crew are making a swing through the Valley (guess they’re not down with Zack de la Rocha and the…
It’s probably safe to call the members of Green Day rock n’ roll gods. Maybe it’s because their concerts sets are more than 3 hours long, or maybe it’s because they allow fans to come on-stage and play with them. The veteran trio performed for an adoring crowd last night…
Song: Green Day, “21 Guns” Context: Green Day comes to Phoenix tonight. 21 Guns [Green Day] by BIG Papi…
Song: “Porirua Gurls”Context: In the wake of the “Arizona Gurls” video I went searching for the world’s most ridiculous parody of Katy Perry’s song. This one, named for a suburb of New Zealand’s capital and made by a radio station there, takes the cake. The references are totally incomprehensible, and…
America’s favorite old man/recording artist Bob Dylan tried to stick it to the man this past Wednesday night at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater.The 69-year-old folk legend decided he was going to rebel against Ticketmaster and surplus ticket charges and nix issuing tickets to his show altogether.It’s a noble experiment in…
While you might not be able to watch DJ RMC doing the weekly grind at Club Incog any more, the 37-year-old is still plenty visible. Each and every Saturday afternoon the house music maestro boots up a live spin session over the Internet via Ustream.tv, and he’s also got a…
NASA has found a way to integrate the general public into their upcoming STS-133 mission.As NME reports, the task at hand is to decide what music should be used to wake up the astronauts while in orbit.Currently, there is a list of 40 potential songs that could be used as…
Artist: Ra Ra RiotTitle: The OrchardRelease date: August 24Label: BarsukIf you like Vampire Weekend, you’ll probably like Ra Ra Riot, a prim-and-proper chamber pop band that sounds more suited to a country club function than a night out at the rock club. These guys are vaguely danceable and indebted to…
It was bad enough when Weezer felt the need to insert Best Buy into their incredibly overplayed radio hit “I Want You To.” Now it seems that their record Hurley, scheduled to be released on Sept. 14, may not be a direct reference to the Lost character played by Jorge…
It’s OK, Sufjan Stevens fans, you can piss your pants about this one — The Age of Adz, Steven’s first album in nearly five years — will be released October 12.This is especially good news for Arizona fans of Stevens as he is set to play Mesa Arts Center on…
This week’s music feature is on The Maine’s rise to success, all the way from the networks of MySpace to their major label signing and $38 keepsake albums. Their adaptability has allowed them to chart and headline. And it doesn’t look like the power-pop force is gonna be on the…
Ever wanted to play a freakin’ laser beam? Like, instead of an instrument? A Scottsdale company called Beamz Interactive gives you the chance with a device called the Beamz Player. It’s a cool little gadget: The $199 player is hooked to a computer and speakers and you coax pre-programmed tones…
