Happy Record Store Day!

 

Record Store Day is today for local record stores. This year is, as always, filled with lots of exclusive releases and various treats among the stores in your area. Like voting, it is your right as a citizen to take adantage of this day and enjoy and purchase exclusive releases. The release list can be found here.

Chi Cheng (1970-2013)

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng passed away yesterday at 42. After a 2008 auto accident left him in a coma, Cheng has spent the last few years in a semi-conscious state. In 2010, however, he has shown signs of improvement and slight mobility.

Happy 4th Birthday To Me

This past Saturday marked the fourth (as in "Four Sticks," Foreigner 4, Beyonce's 4) anniversary of Hightower and Jones. Last week has been an insanely incredible week on a personal level and this Saturday was very busy. Lately, my absence has been due to a focus on my art and the avenues it has started opening up. I have a lot of things I have been meaning to post and talk about like the fact that HBO GO has Cool as Ice on demand until the end of the month (yep yep!) or that I will be seeing The Specials on March 11 with a victory lap of buying the new David Bowie the next day. Also, I have an urge to dissect "Baby Got Back" after rapping along to it twice in a week especially if your girlfriend's got the butt. So, here is to four years of wondering how I got here and to the next year of new releases and still wondering what Kelly is short for. So, I have nothing left to do but this...

Brad and Jane (February 2013)

Side B
01. The F Word by Cannibal Ox
02. I Found You by Alabama Shakes
03. I Can Move You (If You Let Me) Parliament
04. My Own Personal Gravity by P.M. Dawn
05. I Gotta Know by Nikka Costa
06. Black Moon by Wilco

Side J
07. Fopp by Ohio Players
08. Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest
09. Anything We Want by Fiona Apple
10. Some Lovin' by Ben Sollee
11. Goodnight Baby by Sam & Dave

An 80's Valentine's Day Playlist For Your Lover

 

Today is Valentine's Day which means love (or the lack of) is in the air and, more importantly, entwined in the notes found flowing through your speakers. So, while you spend time with your lover, spouse, mate or self, remember this one thing: Nothing says "I love you" better than telling that special someone to "shake it, shake it, shake it, now, shake it" before suggesting that they spend every birthday butt naked.

Rilo Kiley Are Breakin' Up, Breakin' Up With RKives Collection

The final chapter on Rilo Kiley titled Rkives will be released on April 2. The 16-track collection is the long discussed rarities compilation first discussed after the band's breakup in 2011 and will feature rare and unreleased tracks covering the band's career. The collection is available to pre-order in digital, CD and vinyl formats along with a deluxe edition featuring a tote bad, stickers, a button and a cassette featuring exclusive unreleased tracks. Pre-orders for the album can be found here. Sadly, what is missing (unless retitled and I'm hoping it is) is the previously unreleased "Pull Me in Tighter," a fan and setlist favorite from the More Adventurous period. This song (as part of their Austin City Limits performance), along with the tracklist for Rkives and a few videos of the band can be found below.

The Everchanging Spectrum of Hightower and Jones

To loosely quote Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X, "It's about time, it's about space." The last year, for me, was about space and time and as all of you probably guessed, most of that space and time was spent away from the blog. Throughout that time, a few concerts were attended, photographed or reviewed, a vast selection of new albums were purchased along with some older ones that were missed during their released time (read: lots of Spritualized, Belle & Sebastian and Isobel Campbell) but I also started working on projects, developing skill sets during this time and pursuing other interests I thought I felt were needed at that point.

NFFF Vol. 5 (Ladies' Choice) (January 2013 Mixtape)

Side A
01. Sparrow by Kemp & Eden (Simon and Garfunkel)
02. Help Me by Mandy Moore (Joni Mitchell)
03. So You Want to Be (A Rock 'N' Roll Star) by Patti Smith Group (The Byrds)
04. Love Charm by Cake Like (T. Rex)
05. Blue by Cat Power (Joni Mitchell)
06. Strangers by Norah Jones (The Kinks)

Side B
01. I'm on Fire by Electrelane (Bruce Springsteen)
02. Mama Weer All Crazee Now by The Runaways (Slade)
03. She Cracked by Siouxsie and the Banshees (The Modern Lovers)
04. A Forest by Bat for Lashes (The Cure)
05. Shake the Disease by Hooverphonic (Depeche Mode)
06. I Want You by Massive Attack feat. Madonna (Marvin Gaye)