The Grab Bag

Here's a handful of snippets on shit we've been diggin' lately.  We call it The Grab Bag...

The Black Keys - Attack & Release

The Keys are back and this time with the acclaimed Gnarlster himself, Danger Mouse, along for the ride.  Dan & Patrick bring their traditional heavy guitars and heavy drums, while the Mouse ups the ante with even heavier keys.  All Blues, All Soul, All Good.

Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

Underground hip-hop's greatest duo, Slug and Ant, put it down for all the down and out.  Ant's beats reach new heights with extra emphasis on the synth, while Slug kicks some of his most brutally honest rhymes yet.

Justice - ✝

'D.A.N.C.E.' is pure pop bliss but the rest of the album is not for the faint of heart.  For those who usually don't find themselves in the electronic section at the record store, us included, this may take a couple of listens to get your head around.  But we think you'll find the effort to be well rewarded.  Play it in your car on a long drive and turn that shit up.  There's a lot to be heard.

The Roots - Rising Down

Hip-hop's best live band lays down some dope studio work.  Meanwhile, Black Thought and the myriad of guests get super-lyrical and super-political.  Particularly noteworthy, is the fact that the hit-single 'Birthday Girl' is not included on the album.  When it came down to it ?uestlove & Co.  decided it just didn't fit the theme of the album and tossed it.  Must of been a tough decision but in the end, the album really does benefit from the single's absence.

Thanks for tuning in.  Now we wanna hear what you've been hooked on.  Look for more Grab Bags in the future.

Quick History Lesson...

Click here to check out a little video highlighting Radiohead's career from Pablo, Honey to Hail To The Thief.

News From Iceland

This past week, Sigur Ros put the finishing touches on their newest album, titled Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (Translation: With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly). You'll have to wait until June 24th to get a listen to the album in its entirety but today you can download the single "Gobbledigook" via the band's website, effective 11:30 AM. Enjoy! Let us know what you think.  Album artwork below.

Enjoy The Holiday!

Treasure Island Music Festival

View-worthy

Someone spent some time serious time with their Mac and The Bird And The Bee's 'Again & Again.'  Here are the results.  Pretty amazing!

Summer's Here

With 100-plus degree heat this past weekend and a new song from Beck, Summer is officially here.  Head over to beck.com to get a listen to 'Chemtrails,' the first from Beck's forthcoming album, Modern Guilt.  Look for the album in June.

A Brief Digression

This past weekend, The Sacramento Bee featured an article on the Midtown neighborhood of Sacramento. Although Airbag Radio has been exclusively a music blog, I found the article to be worthy of a response. The article focused on the "problems" of the ongoing Midtown Renaissance, specifically noise and violence, and how these problems are upsetting the residents of the neighborhood. I responded to the article, which can be viewed here, via the comments feature on the article webpage, however, I wanted to be able to share my thoughts here with you as well. Thank you and please enjoy this brief digression.

As a resident of Midtown, I welcome the noise and excitement that our neighborhood caters to. Midtown is the heart and soul of Sacramento. It gives me great pride to see people flock to "The Grid" on weekends to take part in the urban lifestyle that I get to experience on a daily basis. To my neighbors who are upset or bothered by the cultural renaissance and renewed interest in Midtown I say "Move!" If you want to live in a quiet sanitized neighborhood, head out to Natomas. Otherwise, embrace the late-night noise. Get out and see what's going on in your own neighborhood! People are excited about where you live and that's a great thing. To the author of the article, please don't demonize Midtown by insinuating that stabbings and shootings are a regular part of life here. Midtown is as safe or unsafe as any other part of the city.

Please feel free to comment here. And for more, we recommend reading Michael Heller's thoughts.

MDYHTS

What's that stand for?  Music Documentaries You Have To See, as in our new semi-irregular column featuring just that, the music documentaries you have to see before you die.  (Well, maybe it's not as serious as all that, but you have to see them nonetheless.)  This concept was sparked by a recent conversation and a desire to dig back into the archives rather than just hit up current stuff on this blog.  MDYHTS will feature reviews of music documentaries we highly recommend on a sort of whenever basis.  First up...

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

A Film About Wilco By Sam Jones

This was our introduction to Wilco and serves as a great entry point for anyone interested in the band.  Simply put, it will change your life.  (OK maybe it won't, but it certainly changed ours.)  Filmed during the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, this film begins as a glimpse into the process of writing and recording an album.  But as the film progresses, things begin to come undone.  You'll love the music, you'll love the drama, you'll love the film.  Put it into your Netflix queue or check it out at our very own Airbag Library.

Quote To Remember

"The world has to change. It just can't be one thing -- and that's the beautiful thing. That's why people feel so passionate about an event. People have that passion and have an opinion about who should perform there. But the world changes and we have to embrace the change. The artists of yesterday paved the way for the artists of tomorrow and that's just how music is. For us rappers to arrive at this point has taken years."

- Jay-Z repsonding to Noel Gallagher of Oasis' comment that "It's wrong" to have a rapper headline Glastonbury Festival

Oh Noel, if there's one thing we can count on you for it's to say dumb shit like that.  Thanks to Jay-Z for staying classy about it.  Jay, we've reserved the headlining spot at next year's inaugural Airbag Festival for you.

Goddamn Kids...

Atmosphere came around to dump some paint on my blog.  It took me hours to clean this place up!  Check the pic below.  I guess you better do these guys a favor and check their new record at paintthatshitgold.com.

Heard In The Desert

For those who couldn't be there, click here to grab Portishead's Coachella performance.  Check out Deaf Indie Elephants for more performances from the desert.

Cash In Those Rod Stewart Records and Be There!

Best Day This Week? Tuesday, Hands Down!

Be sure to catch The Late Show with David Letterman this Tuesday. Death Cab For Cutie will be stopping in to perform live on the show. In other Tuesday news, Narrow Stairs arrives at your favorite music retailer that day as well. We'll go out on a limb and predict that this one tops the year-end lists!

Comin' At Ya!

Be on the look out for a new Beck album in stores soon. No specific details have been announced but rumor has it that it could be dropped upon us without warning, much like the latest from The Raconteurs. (Remember, Jack White and Beck are good friends so they may be sharing ideas.) Rumor also has it that Cat Power shows up on the new album. Keep your fingers crossed!

Out Today!

Stressed?

Here's a new video from Justice for the song 'Stress.'  Not as happy-go-lucky as 'D.A.N.C.E.'  Let us know what you think it means.

justice stress (official video)
by 75_prod

Radiohead Makes Time 100 (And Why Time Sucks)

Radiohead has made it on this year's Time 100 list which features the world's 100 most influential people.  Although this should be cause to celebrate the greatness that is all things Radiohead, I would prefer to take this opportunity to offer Time Magazine a big F U.  Why such hostility toward a publication bestowing this recognition on my favorite band?  

Well, the first strike against Time is that it is completely focused on Radiohead's ground-breaking "business model."  The second strike is that the band is listed under Builders & Titans rather than Artists & Entertainers.  And the third is that Hannah Montana is featured on the list under Artists & Entertainers.

I agree that Radiohead's release of In Rainbows was a bold and exciting move that did shake up the music biz.  However, for the band, this non-traditional release was an artistic statement, rather than a new "business model."  In interviews following the album release, guitarist Jonny Greenwood pointed it's that the purpose of the release was two-fold.  The first reason was for everyone to hear the album at the same time, rather than critics getting the first listen.  The second reason was to ask the question, "How is music valued by those consuming it?"  Recently frontman Thom Yorke has indicated that Radiohead won't be releasing future albums in this fashion stating "...it was a one-off response to a particular situation."  

And what about the music?  In Rainbows is an excellent album featuring beautiful songs and further experimentation from a band with a long-history of genre bending and envelope pushing.  Does anyone at Time care about that?  Nope, Radiohead are completely ignored as artists and are stuffed into the vague Builders & Titans category.  But everyone's favorite Disney star did make the Artist &  Entertainers category.  Hannah Montana!  Yeah!

Again, I say F U Time Magazine.  First of all, if any recognition is to be given to Hannah Montana, it should go to Disney instead.  In addition, Disney should go into its own category called Corporations With Their Grip On The Balls Of Society.  (Starbucks and Walmart can be added to that list.)  

Apologies for the hostile nature of this post, but I felt I couldn't just stand by and watch while some self-important magazine attempts to homogenize art that I hold so near and dear.  For any first-time readers, be advised, this post is very uncharacteristic of Airbag Radio.

BOYCOTT TIME!

Another New Album From NIN (For Free!)

Today, Nine Inch Nails has announced the release of their newest album, The Slip.  The Slip is available for free via the band's website.  Physical manifestations to follow.  Check it out here!