Now Downloading: New Releases 06.01.10

It's a holiday week, and I missed last week thanks to a busy schedule -- nearly missed this one as well -- thanks to Sasquatch Music Festival. This week sees two great Brit acts returning to the 'spunk & spirit' of their glory days, with the latest from The Futureheads and Paul Weller. Besides those releases, there are new ones from Melvins, Gemma Ray, Sleepy Sun and Elk City.

Playlist: New Releases 06.01.10

---

The Futureheads - The Chaos
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The Futureheads were almost too good to be true when they debuted in 2004 with their self-titled burner. The next two releases lent credence to that, as they perhaps tried to build too much on a good thing, ending up with releases that sacrificed spunk and spirit for brainy endeavors, like they were just going to skip a sophomore album and move on with their fifth. The Chaos, then, is the sophomore release we never got as it's a much better follow-up to that successful first stab. They've ingested and spit out a bit of Queen this time to go with their XTC love, and it's two great tastes that taste great together. If there's one complaint, it's that lead single "Heartbeat Song" sounds a bit too much like a brass ring grab for the Sunderland quartet. All is forgiven, though, by the time we get through the epic (Queen-like!) closer "Jupiter." More of that, please.

Free AOL album stream
Download: "Struck Dumb" [mp3]

---

Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Speaking of returning to spunk and spirit, Paul Weller's latest is a real barn burner that blends the spunk of youth (ie, Weller's days in The Jam) with the art of a man of experience. Wake Up the Nation builds upon the experimental 22 Days (2008) -- an album that returned Weller to relevance -- and boils it down to a more palatable shot in the arm. Wake Up the Nation opens at an unbelievable pace, with the rockers "Moonshine" and the title track, and Weller somehow maintains the spirit and spunk, even with slowed down next song, "No Tears to Cry." It's easily the best thing Weller has done since The Jam.

Free AOL album stream

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder / Free AOL album stream
Gemma Ray - It's a Shame About Gemma Ray
Sleepy Sun - Fever / "Open Eyes" [mp3]
Peggy Sue - Fossils and Other Phantoms / Free AOL album stream
Television Personalities - A Memory is Better Than Nothing
Elk City - House of Tongues / Free AOL album stream / "Jerks on Ice" [mp3]
Outrageous Cherry - Seemingly Solid Reality
Wintersleep - New Inheritors / "Hallowed Ways" [mp3]
Woodsman - Mystery Tape (EP) / "When the Morning Comes" [mp3]
Bow Wow Wow - Love, Peace & Harmony the Best of Bow Wow Wow / "If It Feels Alright" [mp3]

tags: music, album review, the national, male bonding, dead weather, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Ear on TV: Week of September 8

Fresh from his (intentional) wardrobe malfunctioning performance on last night's VMA awards, rapper Lil' Wayne starts work this week getting ready for his appearance on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. The host this week is golden boy Michael Phelps, and while hosts don't decide who the musical act, it's no coincidence that Lil' Wayne would be at the top of his most wanted list. Lil' Wayne's "I'm Me" served as part of Phelps' pre-swim preparation routine, so even though it's not on his latest album, I'm guessing that a special request will be made to at least play it as the second song (or maybe, ala U2 a couple years back, have Lil' Wayne play out the credits to it). I wonder if there will be sketch featuring both stars weighing in on the (exposed) boxers vs. (speedo) briefs age old debate?

If you can't wait until Saturday for some great live performances, I can heartily recommend Bon Iver, who's lyrics and yearning falsetto seem in stark contrast to Lil' Wayne, but there's an underlying raw confessional in both artists that makes the artists not as different as your ear would initially have you believe. When Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon) performs "Skinny Love" tonight on Conan, his pants may not be falling down, but he'll still be exposing himself to the audience.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the age spectrum, 50-year old Paul Weller continues to amaze, even at 30+ years into his career. The latest release from the former Jam frontman, 22 Dreams, is the best thing he's done in over a decade. Just check out him performing the rip-roaring title track Wednesday night on Letterman and you'll see the 'The Modfather' still has it.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, September 8
NNBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kardinal Offishall w/ Akon
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Bon Iver
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Katy Perry (REPEAT)
Tuesday, September 9
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Darkest Hour
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Gym Class Heroes
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Grizzly Bear (REPEAT)
Wednesday, September 10
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Paul Weller
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Cloud Cult
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Sugarland
Thursday, September 11
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Alice Cooper
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Langhorne Slim & the War Eagles
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Alejandro Escovedo
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: The Fab Faux
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Game (REPEAT)
Friday, September 12
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Terrence Howard
CBS: The Early Show: LL Cool J
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Best of Performances with MGMT, The Kooks, Lupe Fiasco, Tim Fite
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Raphael Saadiq
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Katy Perry (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: LL Cool J
Saturday, September 13
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Lil Wayne

Catching up with The Wire: Season 4

These past few days felt like I was back in school cramming for a test, having to drop 13 hours in just a couple of days. Fitting, though, in that the fourth season of The Wire is all about education. The schools, the corners, the mayor's office -- hell, even a Home Depot knock off educates our fave chick hitter Snoop.

True dat.


The real stars of this fourth season are the eighth graders from Tilghman Middle School, as we get a look at how the No Child Left Behind program leaves so many children behind. The characters Namond, Michael, Randy and Dukie are all at a critical point in their lives where they either will either move on to high school or make their way on 'the corner,' and it's through their eyes -- and the eyes of cops-turned-teachers Prez and Bunny -- that we see how schools have been forced to turn away from reaching kids and instead teaching 'the test.' Co-creator Ed Burns was a detective who moved on to become a teacher, and it's his experience that is mined for this season -- a story that's both eye-opening and heartbreaking.

To emphasize the story, The Wire turned to a collective of 14-year olds (DoMaJe) to perform Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole," and it works beautifully, especially juxtaposed against the aged veterans who sing the other season's versions (The Blind Boys of Alabama, Waits, The Neville Brothers, and this coming season's by Steve Earle). All these versions appear on a new soundtrack to be released this coming Tuesday (January 8,) entitled ...and all the pieces matter, Five Years of Music from 'The Wire'. This is also the first season that music from Baltimore started to become more front and center. Dirty Hartz, Mullyman, Diablo and DJ Technics are just a handful of the 'Bodymore Murderland' artists featured in the season, and a second soundtrack highlighting them is also coming out next week, called Beyond Hamsterdam, Baltimore Tracks from The Wire, a reference both to season three and Darkroom Productions' popular Hamsterdam Mixtape.

As the seasons have progressed in The Wire, the breadth and width of the music choices has grown to include Latin and Carnival Funk from New Orleans. The addition of Latin music makes sense due to the influx of Latinos in B'More's population, but the New Orleans tracks (The Meters, The Wild Magnolias, Raymond Winnfield) initially seemed odd. However, if there's a sister city to B'More, it's probably The Big Easy, with it's own brand of urban decay. It also might be serving as a precursor to David Simon's next project which reportedly will take place in New Orleans. Meanwhile, the final episode's montage is set to Paul Weller's take on the voodoo classic "I Walk On Gilded Splinters," a song made famous by New Orleans' Dr. John, and containing the refrain, Here I go, now / 'Til I murder, 'til I'm dead. It suggests a chilling future for young Michael.

Playlist: The Wire - Season 4
Here's a sampling of some of the 75 tracks from the playlist/season (full tracklisting here)
"Way Down in the Hole" - DoMaJe - Season 4 theme song
"Survival Of The Fittest" - Mobb Deep - Ep4.01
"Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" - Parliament - Ep4.01
"Ring Of Fire" - Johnny Cash - Ep4.02
"Why Didn't You Call Me" - Macy Gray - Ep4.03
"Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke It Right)" - The Wild Magnolias - Ep4.04
"Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" - Deacon John - Ep4.04
"Cissy Strut" - The Meters - Ep4.04
"Another One Bites The Dust" - Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Ep4.05
"Back Stabbers" - The O'Jays - Ep4.05
"Move On Up" - Curtis Mayfield - Ep4.06
"We Are Family" - Sister Sledge - Ep4.06
"Dance My Pain Away" - Rod Lee - Ep4.07
"The Body Of An American" - The Pogues - Ep4.08
"B.O.B." - Outkast - Ep4.08
"I Cover the Waterfront" - Billie Holiday - Ep4.09
"Lord Give Me A Sign" - DMX - Ep4.09
"Got To Get You Off My Mind" - Solomon Burke - Ep4.10
"Carta Del Hijo Preso" - K'luba - Ep4.11
"Hey Pocky A-Way" - The Meters - Ep4.11
"Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" - Dem Franchize Boyz - Ep4.11
"Things Could Be Better" - Raymond Winnfield - Ep4.12
"I Walk On Gilded Splinters" - Paul Weller - Ep4.13
HBO's Scene and track information

More: As always, the season 4 recap video is good for a refresher, but I think my favorite is a specific Chris and Snoop scene. When they're hired to take out New Yorkers encroaching on East Baltimore corners, they come up with a way of distinguishing their targets from the B'More slingers: Ask them about Baltimore Club music. Seems if you don't have some education on Young Leek's "Jiggle It," then you'd better run. "Where's your Yankee pride now?" asks Snoop later on to a couple corpses.

Previously: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3