New Sia: You GO! Girl

I think I really like this new Sia track. It says: Up With People! From her new album due next year called We Are Born produced by Greg Kurstin. Sort of reminds me of The Weather Girls meets Freeze (A-E-A-E-I-O-U) meets Deborah Harry's This Jam Was Moving. Or whatever that song was called. Bounce to this.

You've Changed - Sia

Sometimes....history of the song

Chris from Gorilla Vs Bear recently dropped a new song by Harlem, a cover of "Sometimes" written and originally recorded by Gene Thomas. The original (in the video below) was a smooth ballad that veered towards the more middle-of-the-road lillywhite pop sounds of the day. The song was then turned on its head by the Flamin' Groovies, covered by Dough Sahm (who gave it a Fats Domino "Blueberry Hill" vibe) and was also covered by Paul Revere & The Raiders.

Sometimes - Paul Revere & The Raiders

The Return Of Gil Scott-Heron

Hard top believe but true.
Gil Scott-Heron
returns with a new album called I'm New Here on XL in January. Wow. And must say, this is a brilliant signing for XL.

Check out this new tune.

Where Did The Night Go - Gil Scott-Heron

Required:
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Must watch:

CFCF's Continent

The Montreal band CFCF have returned with just a great new album, Continent on Paper Bag Records. The album will be released on November 3rd. CFCF is the work of songwriter, producer, remixer/DJ Mike Silver and follows up an EP and his collaboration with Sally Shapiro he released earlier this year. File under atmospheric electronica that you can either shake your groove thang to or float off down the a lazy hallucinogenic river by. This stuff is in the pocket.

Here's CFCF's cover of a Fleetwood Mac song from the album and another track from the album.

Big Love - CFCF

Monolith - CFCF (via The Fader)

Nite Jewel

SVB can almost always get into the groove and a quick intro to Nite Jewel by our pals over at Stones Throw saw some pretty quick disco dancing action happening. This song is sort a of twisted 80's Arthur Baker tribute on mushrooms - heard through the ears of Ciccone Youth's take on "Into The Groove(y) and Midnight Starr's "No Parking On The Dance Floor." Two words: Coo. El.

Bonus video below.

Weak For Me - Nite Jewel

Xylos At Your Service

Thanks to Evan over at Together In Digital Dreams for turning me on to Xylos, a five piece from Brooklyn who play a sort of sensitive and charming kind of indie-pop. They've got a sweet five song EP available for free here; all worth checking out.

For you Philadelphians, they play at Kung Fu Necktie on Thursday, December 17th.

Wrapped In A Page - Xylos

New Beach House

The Baltimore based duo Beach House are releasing their highly anticipated Sub Pop Records debut on January 26th called Teen Dream. Likely to be the first "big" album of 2010 and for good reason: It's amazing. Can't say it any other way.

Here's a song from the forthcoming album

Norway - Beach House

The Hits keep coming...new Tindersticks

Oh yeah, and here's a new Tindersticks song from their forthcoming album, Falling Down A Mountain due in February. Sort of reminds me of "Satisfaction" meets "Time Is Tight." And if you don't know those songs, your license to blog should be revoked.
Black Smoke - Tindersticks

Snow Patrol cover INXS

Say wha?!?!?!
New Sensation - Snow Patrol

Langhorne Slim

One of our favorite local illadelphian singer/songwriters Langhorne Slim plays Johnny Brenda's here in Philly with LA CSN&Y throwbacks Dawes this Thursday nite. It's got the makings of a great evening of new troubadourism. Here's one of a bunch of great songs from Langhorne's new album Be Set Free. He knocks this one out of the park, as they say.

My pal Heather over at Fuel/Friends has some very nice things to say about Mr. Slim on her blog and her Gigbot interview with Langhorne.

I Love You But Goodbye - Langhorne Slim

The Prisoner

The Prisoner, episode 1 - Arrival



watch more episodes here

Mick Jones/Tony James AKA Carbon/Silicon Release New Album

Carbon Silicon have a new album and they are giving it away for free. The Carbon Bubble has 12 new songs with Mick Jones and Tony James writing the tunes, playing guitars and singing and Leo Williams on bass and Dominic Greensmith on drums.

Here's a sample - then head over here to grab the rest.

Reach For The Sky - Carbon/Silicon

Fresh Start - Carbon/Silicon

Shadow - Carbon/Silicon

Beck's Record Club takes on Skip Spence

You may have read about the next installment of Beck's Record Club - taking on the odd & obscure classic album Oar by Skip Spence and recruting help from Wilco, Feist and Jamie Lidell to do it.

Spence, for those of you unfamiliar with him, was a founding member of Moby Grape and one time drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He often gets lumped in to the small group of mysterious, puzzling, creative geniuses like Syd Barrett, Nick Drake and Chris Bell, and plagued with drug problems and mental illness he recorded his one and only solo album in 1968 after he was released from a stay in Bellevue Hospital. He was 22 years old when he recorded the album in 4 days, playing all the instruments himself. The record went quickly into obscurity; it was freak-folk when freak-folk mattered the most and still holds a candle to much in that genre. The album is a gorgeous enigma, country-tinged, gospel lined, freakishly folky and haunted by a hundred tortured ghosts of the blues of one kind or another. The album has been subjected to several re-issues over the years however this one is the one you should seek out. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Spence died of cancer in 1999.

Required reading: Karen Schoemer, NY Times: "A Fragile Mind Bent In A Psychedelic Era

Below: The Beck Record Club session for "Little Hands" and Moby Grape from the Monterey Pop Festival.