Noooo....

The White Stripes have cancelled their forthcoming tour due to health issues. According to the bands website, Meg White is suffering from accute anxiety and is unable to tour at this time. So this means no White Stripes, no Amy Winehouse, no Shins. My life is unraveling. At least the new Kanye kicks ass! (Review coming.) Hopefully Meg's feeling well soon and The Stripes can come back around this way.

New Stuff From Sigur Ros

November 6 will be a big day for all you Sigur Ros fans out there. Not only will that day see the release of the live DVD, Heima, but also the release of the double EP, Hvarf/Heim. Heima, traslated as Homeland, will feature live footage from the Takk tour, including a performance inside an abandoned herring oil tank in Iceland. After watching the trailer for the film, this doesn't look like a traditional live documentary (and now I want to visit Iceland). Check it out for yourself here. Hvarf/Heim, translated as Dissappear/Home, will be comprised of lost songs and live acoustic renditions of some the band's classic material. See what the band had to say about the upcoming releases here. Cant's wait for both. For those interested, Sigur Ros also has a book available, titled In A Frozen Sea.

Kanye West vs. 50 Cent

One week from today, it all goes down. On Tuesday the 11th, Kanye West and 50 Cent will go head-to-head on the Billboard charts for the top spot of the week with Graduation and Curtis, respectively. From what I've heard of it so far, Kanye's album is off-the-chain dope but Fiddy is so confident in his selling power that he has said in fact that he will stop making music if West comes out on top. Who'll take the crown? Airbag Radio has pinned it's hopes on Kanye, but it's more likely that 50 Cent will be the week's top seller for the same reason that a guy like Chris Daughtry will always outsell The Shins. Unfortunately, product always outsells art. All the same, I'll be picking up a few extra copies of Graduation to sway things toward Kanye's favor. As a side note, some have speculated that country music star Kenny Chesney will swoop in from the fake corn fields and steal the whole show. In that case I'll be picking up a few more copies of Graduation. Here's hoping for Kanye...

For Your Reading Pleasure...

Here's a little something I prepared for a dear friend entering her college years (aka Radiohead-discovery years). I thought I'd share it with you all for kicks. Enjoy!

An Airbag Saved My Life
A Play-By-Play Synopsis Of Radiohead’s Complete Catalog

Pablo Honey (1993)
Pablo Honey is a pretty good album by regular standards, but it pales in comparison to what Radiohead would follow with in the coming years. This album is most noteworthy for the song “Creep,” which remains the band’s lone radio hit.

My Iron Lung (1994)
My Iron Lung, both the EP, as well as the song, served as a turning point for Radiohead. A new beginning that would pave the way for greatness to come.

The Bends (1995)
The Bends is Radiohead’s first masterpiece. Large guitars and pleading vocals both pull you in and pull you apart.

OK Computer (1997)
Among critics, this album is regarded as the best work of the past three decades. Even when compared to Radiohead’s own catalog of stellar work, OK Computer stands out above the rest. My mind is still bent each time I listen to this album.

Airbag/How Am I Driving? (1998)
This collection of OK Computer-era b-sides demonstrates that even the band’s leftover songs are amazing. The instrumental track, “Meeting In The Aisle,” serves as a hint of changes to come.

Kid A (2000)
Following the success of OK Computer, the band made a conscious decision not to rest on their laurels but rather recreate their sound entirely. The result was Kid A, a hybrid of blips, bleeps, rock, beats and the end of the world. The change both shocked fans and rattled the music industry a bit.

Amnesiac (2001)
Recorded simultaneously with Kid A, Amnesiac maintains many of the same elements yet still stands apart as an equally great album with its own distinct sound. This album will always hold a special place to me, as it was my introduction to Radiohead.

I Might Be Wrong – Live Recordings (2001)
Comprised of live material from the difficult Kid A/Amnesiac tours, this EP includes a live recording of the song “True Love Waits,” a standout track unavailable on any other releases.

Hail To The Thief (2003)
This is Radiohead’s most eclectic piece of work. The listener journeys through a variety of styles that all are uniquely Radiohead. On one extreme is the freak-out “2+2=5” and on the other is the subtle ballad “Sail To The Moon.”

Com Lag (2plus2isfive) (2004)
A collection of Hail To The Thief b-sides that prove yet again that many of Radiohead’s best songs never made it onto a proper album. Two standouts are "Fog (Again)," a live version of an Amnesiac b-side and the Lou Reed-esque "Wicked Child."

Jonny Greenwood – Bodysong (2004)
The first solo work from any member of the band, this album is actually the soundtrack to the film Bodysong, which documents different stages of human life from birth to death. Composed by Greenwood, the soundtrack combines the traditional instruments of a film score with the soundscape of a Radiohead album.

Thom Yorke – The Eraser (2006)
Most similar to Amnesiac, The Eraser brings beats galore and mad vocal hooks to the table. You’ll be bobbing your head and singing “This is fucked up” at the same time.

Thom Yorke – Spitting Feathers (2006)
B-sides from The Eraser, the extended version of “Harrowdown Hill,” makes this one worth the price of admission alone.

The as-of-yet-untitled, long-in-the-works seventh album from Radiohead is expected to be available by year’s end. Get ready!

Play This: Bat For Lashes, LCD Soundsytem

Two quick recommendations coming your way. First off, Bat For Lashes' debut album Fur And Gold. This one has been much hyped as of late, and for good reason. Powerful vocals (akin to Bjork at times), epic instrumentation and dream-inspired themes. If you don't want to check out the entire album at least grab the album opener "Horse And I."

Second pick, Sound of Silver from LCD Soundsystem. This one has been on the list of things to check out for a while now and I'm glad I finally did. Falling kind of into the indie dance genre, LCD Soundsytem is heads and shoulders above the rest of the class. The main reason being that main-man James Murphy delivers the good but never takes himself too seriously. Groovy beats keep you moving. Heavy on the electronics but never too heavy. If you just check out one track, go for "North American Scum."

Weekend Extraordinare Part I: Wilco Shines

This past weekend was the big back-to-back concert extravaganza. Wilco on Friday followed by Beastie Boys on Saturday. The type of weekend us music geeks dream of. Two bands known for their stellar performances. Both shows at Berkeley's legendary Greek Theatre. And Airbag Radio was there to take in every minute of it.

In this post we have included a review of the Wilco's performance, to be followed by Beastie Boys in a separate issue.

Let's start by pointing out that these six guys can play. Wilco masks their deadly accuracy in deceptively loose delivery but when they turn it on its apparent how tight the band really is. That night's performances of "Shake It Off" and "Hate It Here" demonstrated their perfect live skills.

Frontman, Jeff Tweedy, was not only a killer bandleader and singer (even better live than on record) but also an entertaining spokesman, conversing with the crowd between songs on various topics, including phrases not to use e.g. "I loves me some..."

Lead guitar player, Nels Cline, was certainly the stand-out musician of the band. His style comes off as a hybrid of John Frusciante (of the Chili Peppers) and Tom Morello (of Rage). With a little slide guitar in there to mix it up. He really belongs on the list of best guitar players of our time. Drummer, Glenn Kotche was equally impressive but had less opportunities in the set to wow the crowd.

Show highlights included "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," "Impossible Germany," "Hate It Here," "Jesus, Etc." and "Sky Blue Sky." Deeply missed were "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "What Light." (Maybe next time they come around.) And if they do come around again, you gotta be there. Even though they probably won't have this awesome of a poster next time.



Stay tuned for Part II of Weekend Extraordinare.

Fields

This past May, Airbag Radio had the good fortune of catching indie up-and-comers Fields at New York's Mercury Lounge. What a show! Cool crowd, good beer and great music all going down in an old brick room on the edge of the East Village. Fields delivers driving acoustic rock, soothing melodies, and crescendos of epic proportions. We highly recommend you check out their full length debut, Everything Last Winter. If our plug for the band has piqued your interest, check out "Song For The Fields," the free single of the week on iTunes. Grab it before Monday night. For further listening, see Fields' EP, 7 From The Village.

Ragin' In SF

Saturday, August 18th, Rock The Bells rolled into the parking lot at San Francisco's AT&T Park bringing with it a myriad of hip hop acts, an eclectic crowd and one legendary rock band hellbent against the man. Mad props to Rage Against The Machine for throwing down big time despite the subpar soundman and a less than enthusiastic crowd. The band was in fine form and hasn't lost a step in the past seven years they've been split up. Main man Zack de la Rocha spit mad fire aimed at the powers that be and, during "Wake Up," proclaimed that we, the people, must realize that the true power for change lies in our own hands. Equally outspoken was mad scientist Tom Morello's guitar, which he banged and clanged into a concoction of other worldly noises. As for the rest of the show, Wu-Tang Clan's time on stage was more like a party, with Method Man taking the helm as both king and jester. Oakland posse Hieroglyphics put it down with their signature indie style. Unfortunately, The Roots, Mos Def and Talib Kweli all took the stage prior to Airbag's arrival at the festival. All in all, making it to Coachella the past spring for Rage's comeback was a dream come true, catching 'em a second time this year was an extra special treat.


An old-school Wu fan, throws up the W.


The calm before the Rage.

Dropping A Timebomb

Today saw the release of the new single, "Timebomb," Beck's first release since last year's block rockin' album, The Information. This little jingle got's some block rockin' going on as well. Classic Beck synth grooves, steady rhythm and a schoolyard chorus hollering back at the man himself. As Beck puts it this is "a song for bonfires, blackouts and the last hurrah of summer." Sounds good to us. Check it out below on iTunes.



For more Beck gems you have yet to hear, go over to www.beck.com and check out "Forget Marie." This one sounds like a Sea Change era outtake that'll hopefully make its way onto an album someday.

Foos Fight Fire With Fire

Foo Fighters have announced that their sixth album, Echoes, Patience, Silence And Grace, will be released on September 25th. But while you do your best to wait patiently for the release date, you can get your Foo Fightin' on over at stereogum.com. They've got a special treat, Foo Fighters covering The Arcade Fire's "Keep The Car Running" from the BBC's Live Lounge.

If this track leaves you jonesin' for some more covers of Arcade Fire, check out Calexico's take on "Ocean Of Noise."