Quote To Remember

"Who do you know that just has one mode, all the time? We go through all sorts of mood swings, and within an hour, within a day, you find yourself angry, happy, sad; you find yourself on halftime, you find yourself on full throttle. So, all of that goes into the music — that's our therapy; that's our fantasy land."
- Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta

This Week In Records

There are a couple of new albums out this week, that we highly recommend getting your ears around. The first of these is the latest from The Mars Volta, titled The Bedlam In Goliath. If this album is even half as fascinating as the story behind it, it'll be an epic. (Check the band's website for the backstory.) The second release is Field Manual, the long-awaited debut solo album from Death Cab for Cutie's own multi-instumentalist Chris Walla. This one is apparently so good that it was actually seized at the border by Homeland Security, so they could get a listen before anyone else. (More on that here.) Lastly, Beck's classic 1996 album, Odelay, get's the Deluxe Edition treatment. Lots of b-sides, rarities and remixes! Head down to your local independent music store and check 'em all out.

Your Ad Here

With major labels suffering in a major way, record execs are busy coming up with new ways to generate some dough. One of the more recent (and obscene) ideas includes selling corporate sponsorships of bands and albums. Imagine: Red Hot Chili Peppers brought to you by Gillette Mach 3 Razor or perhaps Starbucks' Back To Black by Amy Winehouse. It's ideas like this that demonstrate how out of touch major labels are with music, musician's and music fans. The music business will die, music will live on.

Cobalt Weekend

This past weekend, Airbag Radio had the opportunity of attending not just one but two performances from The Cobalt Season. What an amazing band! Lyrically Ryan Sharp captures the personal struggles of balancing life in our modern world and the desire for something more than 'The American Dream.' Musically, the band moves through pondering melodies and a variety of folk styles with Ryan's yearning vocals leading the way. Live loops, recorded on stage, serve as the floor to the music and contrasting video images of people and technology play as a backdrop on the walls. The entire performance was genius but moments of absolute brilliance included 'Careful Not To Draw Your Maps In Pen And Ink,' 'Help Me Out Here,' and 'Unified Theory.' A handful of excellent new songs were presented that the band will record in February. Look for the album in April. And if The Cobalt Season happens to be in your area, check 'em out! You won't be disappointed.

The Best Of '07: Live And On Record

And the hits don't stop! Here are a few of the best live albums of 2007. Airbag Radio highly recommends that your ears get a listen to these.

Neil Young - Massey Hall 1971
Neil Young sits down all by himself to perform what would become some of his greatest songs.

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live At Radio City
Dave and Tim back at it. The performance of 'Bartender' will blow you away.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live At Monterey
The Experience's first U.S. performance ever! Check out the cover of Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone.'

The Doors - Live In Boston
One Night, Two Shows and Three Discs proves why The Doors were one of the best to ever take the stage.

The Best Of '07: Live And In Person...

In 2007, Airbag Radio had the good fortune of attending a plethora of live concert events. Here are a few of the best.

Rage Against the Machine @ Coachella, Indio, CA

Wilco @ The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA

Iron & Wine @ The Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA

The Mars Volta @ Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA

Totally Terrific Tip Of Today

Fellow vinyl enthusiasts, here's a great place to visit on the internet, www.insound.com. Lots of great indie records, good prices!  (Even if your not into vinyl there's still some cool stuff.  Like this.)

The (Almost) Best Of '07: Hidden Track

Looking for that secret song at the end of CD? Well this is kinda like that. Here's the other great albums of 2007 that didn't quite make it to The Big Show.

M.I.A. - Kala
(World-Beat Hip-Hop)

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
(Dance Music From A Real Band)

The White Stripes - Icky Thump
(Jack White, Back On Guitar)

Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
(Rock n' Roll You Can Groove To)

Music From The Motion Picture Once
(Intense Raw Emotion)

The National - Boxer
(Calm, Collected, Powerful)

Feist - The Reminder
(The iPod Commercial Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg)

The Shins -Wincing The Night Away
(Pure Fun)

Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Acadamey
(Sonic Youth's Main Man Pulls Out The Acoustic Guitar)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Are Back! No Way!

That's right! The twice dead band from NYC is set to return with a new album. Yeah Yeah Yeahs announced, via their website, that they are in the process of writing and recording their third full-length release. The band made no promises as to when it'll be available for consumption, but we eagerly await the fruits of their labor.

YOUR Best Of '07

So we've just wrapped up giving you our ten favorite albums of the year, now it's your turn.  What albums were you diggin' in 2007?  Go ahead and post a comment, even if it's just one album.  Here's you chance to do your dance.  This is Airbag Radio, YOUR Best Of '07.

Coachella '08

Year after year, the announcement of the Coachella Festival has shocked and awed music fans.  Unexpected reunions and stellar lineups have become an annual tradition for the nearly decade old music and arts festival.  Rumors circulate earlier and earlier each year.  In fact, this year someone went to such lengths as to create their own Coachella poster back in November to get the rumor ball rolling.  So what's the big surprise this year?  The lineup blows!!!  OK, maybe it doesn't blow, but it sure isn't what we've become accustomed to.  Perhaps the promoters have a couple of bands up their sleeves, but thus far we're only really excited about one day of the three day festival.  That particular day is Saturday, April 26, which will feature performances from Portishead, Death Cab For Cutie, M.I.A., Cold War Kids, Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement) and a slew of other acts.  As for the other two days of the festival, highlights include Raconteurs, The Breeders, The National, The Streets, and Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd) performing the epic album The Dark Side Of The Moon.  Not bad, but nothing like years past.  Rumor has it (again with the rumors) that the good lineup is being saved for the inaugural All Points West Festival in New Jersey aka Coachella East.  In defense of Coachella, although the festival is known for huge bands and great reunions, its equally known for being ahead of the curve and breaking countless new bands sitting on the verge of success.  That said, there are about 100 bands on the lineup thus far and there are definitely some rough gems in there waiting to be discovered.  It all happens down in Indio, CA, April 25-27.   For more information on the big day in the desert click here.

The Best Of '07: Day 10 (And In The End...)

We made it!  For those of you who have been with us, you know this is the final day in our presentation of the 10 best albums of the year.  And what a long 10 days it's been.  It feels like it's been over a month since we started.  (Oh yeah, it has!)  Thank you to everyone who has stuck with us and eagerly anticipated each and every album as if it was Christmas morning.  We hope you have enjoyed the journey.  We know we have.  Here's a little recap of where we've been so far, followed by the final top ten album of the year.  Remember this has all been brought to you in no particular order.  Enjoy!  This is Airbag Radio.  The Best Of '07.

Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Kanye West - Graduation

Radiohead - In Rainbows

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

Jay-Z - American Gangster

And the final member to be added to this prestigious list...

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Sky Blue Sky is simply amazing.  From the songwriting, to the musicianship, to the recording this is some of the finest music made in a while.  Jeff Tweedy brings a fresh literal approach to his lyrics and explores themes of longing, anxiety, separation and commitment.  Known for their sonic experimentation, Wilco stripped away the layers to reveal an amazingly tight band on par with, well... The Band.  From beginning to end, this album is a real treat and it only grows better with repeated listening.

The Best Of '07: Day 9 (Almost There...)

Can you believe it?  It's almost over.  Here we are at Day 9 in our presentation of the ten best albums of the past year.  And oh what fun it's been!  Savor these last couple of albums because there won't be a list like this for a whole 'nother year.  This is Airbag Radio.  The Best of '07.

Jay-Z - American Gangster

Put your diamonds up, 'cuz Hova is baaaaack!  Forget about 2006's comeback album, Kingdom Come, American Gangster is Jay-Z's real comeback album.  One of the greatest MC's of all time, puts it down like only he knows how.  Originally inspired by the film of the same name, this album finds Jay spittin' about what he knows best, the hustle.  His tales of his younger days as a drug dealer strike a chord because he doesn't glorify his past, he just tells it how it was.  This one ranks high with Jay-Z's other classics, The Blueprint and The Black Album.  Standout tracks include 'Pray,' 'No Hook,' and 'Roc Boys (And The Winner Is).'

The Best Of '07: Day 8

We're coming down the final stretch.  Just 3 days left of the ten best albums of 2007.  Thanks for staying with us.  This is Airbag Radio.  The Best Of '07.

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog

This past year, everyone's favorite folk musician returned with a new full-length album that was, for the most part, not that folksy.  The album however is as impressive as any of Iron & Wine's previous work.  For The Shepherd's Dog, Iron & Wine's main man Sam Beam loaded up on musicians, headed into the studio and came out with a brilliant change of pace.  Electric guitars and heavy bass fit surprising well with his mellow vocals.  However longtime fans need not fear the new direction.  There are still moments of folk on the album.  If you are a fan, you'll enjoy this one and if you're new to Iron & Wine, this is a good place to start.

The Best Of '07: Day 07

It's not a fluke!  Two days in a row means we're back on track.  Just to recap for those who are still with us, Airbag Radio is bringing you the top ten albums of the year one day at a time and in no particular order.  Let's hope the wheels don't fall off this thing again.  This is Airbag Radio.  The Best Of '07.

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead

Dense, apocalyptic rhymes over equally dense, apocalyptic beats.  When our world comes to a crashing end this will be the soundtrack.  El-P (aka El-Producto) paints a dark vision of an Orwellian dystopia in the not so distant future.  Hands down the best to come out of hip-hop's underground this year.  Guest spots feature unexpected surprises such as The Mars Volta, Nine Inch Nails and Cat Power.  Standout tracks include 'Tasmanian Pain Coaster', 'Up All Night' and 'Flyentology.'  Even if you don't dig hip-hop, this is one any music fan can appreciate.  Ch-check it out! 

The Best Of '07: Day 6 (Back With A Vengeance)

That's right!  The Best of '07 is finally back!  All apologies for the extreme skip of the record there.   After our recent blast on (certain) best-of lists, the indie-rock gestapo broke into our world headquarters, ransacked the joint, and stole our master best-of list, replacing it with their own.  However, we refused to give into their strong-arm tactics and have since stolen back our original list and moved our world headquarters to a safer, more secure location.  It's good to be back.  Let the beat drop.   This is Airbag Radio.   The Best Of '07.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

The release of Radiohead's seventh studio album was certainly the music-biz story of the year.  But even if you remove the much-discussed groundbreaking release method, this one still stands as one of the year's best.  In Rainbows is signature-Radiohead in that it is a completely different direction for the band (as each new release proves to be).  Radiohead tackles themes of love, frustration and disappointment over bouncy grooves, lush ballads and freakout guitars.  With every listen, In Rainbows grows all the more beautiful.  Every song is stunning but true standouts are '15 Step,' 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,' 'All I Need,' and 'Videotape.'  The album is now available in stores.  Grab it on CD.  Your ears will be happy!  This is one for the good old days!

Airbag Radio plans to host an In Rainbows listening event, in conjunction with Flood, in the coming weeks.  If you are interested in being a part of this experience, please send an email to james@airbagradio.com.