February 2005 Archives

eLarceny is back! Hooray for Unix!

eLarceny is experiencing some hosting complications. Once it has been resolved, and we all hope it is soon, new updates will be coming. Keep your pants on.

Also, please take this time to get the Mozilla Firefox internet browser. It is vastly superior to Microsoft's Interent Explorer. As an added bonus, Mozilla makes my site look totally kick-ass as compared to Internet Explorer making my site look completely janky. This goes for all you Mac users too.

Stuff to Steal: Mozilla Firefox. It's free!

I had a request for info about Hot Hot Heat's new album. I don't know anything about the new album and I know very little about Hot Hot Heat to begin with but I assure you, I will learn.

In the mean time, Hot Hot Heat's new album hits stores April 5 and they are currently on tour

Stuff to Steal: New song from Hot Hot Heat Goodnight Goodnight and old songs Get in or Get Out, Haircut Economics, Cork up the Stink.

In a round about way, I’m going to touch on three “groups” that are all interconnected in several ways. Here goes. Kings of Convenience, Erlend Øye and RoyksoppNorway<.

Kings of Convenience is a folk trio that specializes in quiet little tunes with soft little voices. That same soft voice belongs to Erlend Øye (The Singing DJ) who recently put out a fantastic DJ Kicks compilation.

Øye’s DJ Kicks is a great mix of break beat and deep house tunes and as an added bonus, Øye remixes several of them by adding his own acapella tracks over the originals. Before the DJ Kicks mix, Øye released his solo electronic effort called Unrest, it is uninspired compared to the Kicks mix but a decent listen none-the-less.

Several years before any of this, before Øye even decided he wanted to get into the whole DJing thing, he lent his voice to another Norwegian electronic act, Royksopp, for several tracks on the superb Melody A.M.

Three groups, all Norwegian, separate yet connected. And even though these groups are all from a cold European country, they all make very warm music, be it warm quiet folk or warm quiet electronic musings.

Stuff to Steal: Kings of Convenience cover of Harry Nilsson's Me and My Arrow. KoC doing I Don't Know What I Can Save You From and then the Royksopp remix of I Don't Know What I Can Save You From (Royksopp Remix). Plus KoC's Cayman Islands. Erelend Øye doing Awhile Ago and Recently, Every Party Has a Winner and a Loser and Oye's version of Royksopp's Remind Me (remove .mp3 from file name)

Well, Trent Reznor certainly took his time; let’s hope it is as good as the wait was long. And by it I am referring to the new Nine Inch Nails' album, With Teeth. After waiting six years there is word that new album will be out in May, but I no longer trust anything I hear about or from Trent unless it has to do with him taking his sweet ass time to write, record and release new material.

Most of the time there are just hushed whispers about stuff that he may have recorded or is possibly working on. My biggest disappointment: Tapeworm. Whatever happened to that? But, after all of the speculation and rumor of the past six years, there is finally proof.

Stuff to Steal: Nine Inch Nails – The Line Begins to Blur

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Trent and all the work he has done. My first concert was Nine Inch Nails. It was so breath taking and so frightening I had a hard time knowing what to think. I have been to a lot of concerts since but that NIN show was by far the most amped up and violent spectacle I'd ever seen. The whole arena turned into a gigantic pit as Trent and the boys raged through their set. When they played Hurt, the entire place fell under a weird hush which was almost as powerful as any hard-charging song they had played yet.

Fast forward five years and Trent releases The Fragile. One of his best and most ambitious projects. I caught two show off of that tour and was impressed by both. Trent has set the bar incredibly high for this album and for the ensuing tour. I can't wait.

Also, just as a side note. Go get The Lost Highway soundtrack. Trent produced and recorded some new music for the movie and the soundtrack is a great, cohesive peice of work.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy will get a second chance in the movie theaters this spring. Douglas Adams' classic novel got the Hollywood treatment and I’m a little worried. Well, as worried as I am whenever Hollywood turns a great book into a movie. Their success rate is not all that high.

I had read in early 2004 that Mos Def would be playing the role of Ford Prefect and I was intrigued, so I will be anxiously waiting to see the final product. The newly posted trailer at Amazon looks pretty spiffy.

It has been over six years since I read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Thanks Klever!) and I wanted to read it again but it seems that all of the library's copies have come up missing or damaged. What’s up with that? Maybe it is a sinister plot put in motion by Amazon.

Stuff to Steal: Somebody wanna pass me a stolen copy so I can get my read on?

There was only one big electronic group that made it out of the 1990s relatively unscathed – The Chemical Brothers. It is clear how I feel about Daft Punk and after listening to the first few songs from Prodigy's new offering, I didn’t even bother with the last half of the album - it was that bad.

But I’ve come to expect more from The Chemical Brothers and up until now I’ve never been disappointed with anything they have ever put out. That being said, I’m not disappointed with Push the Button, but it is not their best album. In fact, it may very well be their worst album.

Maybe they weren’t inspired, maybe they weren’t focused, maybe they were depending too much on guest talent to pull the album on through. Maybe, just maybe, some young, aspiring DJs will get a hold of the album and remix it in the hopes of making it better.

Stuff to Steal: The Chemical Brothers – Flip the Switch. Be patient.

Oh its dirty! So very dirty! Dirty rock and blues straight out of the Dirty D. There is a rough sizzle and pop that inhabits the underbelly of The Soledad Brother’s new album Voice of Treason. Even on those slower songs where you might think that fire has gone out and there isn’t room for it. That electricity is there but it is being very quiet and lying in wait to strike those who are unsuspecting.

This is the power of The Soledad Brothers and a testament to Detroit rock. I’m not sure any more words can do the band justice and trying would just be stupid. Listen for yourself.

Website: www.soledadbrothers.com

Stuff to Steal: Cage That Tiger, Prince Among Thieves, Break Em On Down, Teenage Heartattack, Going Back to Memphis, I-75 Boogie, Front St. Front

Here is a rare double post. Very soon Daft Punk will be releasing a new album called Human After All. It is floating around in cyber space because as you might imagine, some one leaked it. But, strangely enough, I’m having trouble finding it. I know, most of you are shocked. The early word is that Human After All sounds a little bit more like the fantastic Homework then the not-so-great Discovery. If this is the truth then I will be happy. Look for the new album March 21.

In a note relating to Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem will be releasing a new double disc soon. Half the brains behind one of the best production teams in NYC, James Murphy took his time to create a crazy album that mishes and mashes punk, rock, disco and electro beats into something that is more then danceable. If there is such a thing. The first track off the album is called Daft Punk is Playing at My House. Look at this video!

Stuff to Steal: Daft Punk’s new single Robot Rock. Breakwater’s Release the Beast, the song Daft Punk "sampled" the hell out of to get Robot Rock, also Daft Punk's Television Rules the Nation and finally LCD Soundsystem’s Disco Infiltrator. (Great use of the cowbell)