Sunday Go To Church Song

Sep 27, 2009 Boys With Guitars

“God Give Me Strength,” by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. From Burt’s 1998 live album One Amazing Night.

        

Happy Birthday, Boss

Sep 23, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Bruce Springsteen turns-- holy crap!-- 60 today. Here’s a great live acoustic version of “Born to Run” from 1988 to commemorate the occasion.

        

Last To The Party

Sep 22, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Ever feel competely out of the loop musically? For the second time this year, I’ve “discovered” a band that’s been around for years and boasts several previous critically acclaimed albums. First it was Phoenix, now it’s The Hidden Cameras, a Toronto collective led by Joel Gibb that just released its fifth full-length album, Origin: Orphan. It’s freakin’ amazing. Check out this funny clip for “In The Na” while I go bone up on current indie rock.

        

Jason Castro - Let’s Just Fall In Love Again

Sep 19, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Jason Castro has released a catchy single in advance of his anticipated self-titled CD, which is set to hit stores in November. I can’t get this song out of my head.

This is live from The Grove in CA last month:

        

Beck’s Record Club

Sep 19, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Beck continues his crazy venture of recording unrehearsed covers of entire albums in a day with his buddies. For their second album, they ran with the suggestion from MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden to handle Leonard Cohen’s “Songs of Leonard Cohen”. It’s an apt choice as Leonard turns 75 on Monday. Not every effort is worth a listen, but his version of Winter Lady with Thorunn Magnusdottir is simply beautiful and worth a trek to Beck.com.

But my favorite is the fun and original twist on a dirge of Cohen’s. I’m not sure who came up with the idea to do this to Master Song, but I think I love it.

For the sake of camparison:

        

Rock Lit

Sep 17, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Two musical Renaissance men are rockin’ the bookstores this month. Australian goth-blues legend Nick Cave has penned his second novel, The Death Of Bunny Munro, the premise of which sounds like a particularly dark vaudeville joke. (Did you hear the one about the door-to-door salesman and the serial killer?) Rolling Stone calls it “bleakly hilarious.” Sounds fun!

Meanwhile, Joe Pernice, founder of the Pernice Brothers and one of the most gifted tunesmiths in the alt-pop universe, is touting his second novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop, a semi-autobiographical work that has drawn comparisons to Nick Hornby. He’s also released an accompanying CD of covers, including his take on Sammy Johns’ “Chevy Van.” For real! I’ve ordered this one from Amazon and can’t wait to read it.

        

Dig that crazy, moody, surf-y beat

Sep 15, 2009 Boys With Guitars

The Drums’ addictive new single, “Let’s Go Surfing,” which mashes up Joy Division-ish propulsion with Peter, Bjorn & John-style whistling with a surf rock vibe to create something altogether unholy and great.

        

It’s Beatles Day!

Sep 9, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Remastered CDs of all the Fab Four’s classic albums are being released today, both separately and as a boxed set. We’ve already got part of our next paycheck earmarked for Revolver and Let It Be. What about you?

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‘Toon Trap

Sep 6, 2009 Moboki

Ever feel like you’re ensared in an endless Escher-esque loop? Fred and Barney share your existentialist predicament, to the tune of Soul Coughing’s “Circles.”

        

BWG Briefs

Sep 3, 2009 Boys With Guitars

Boy: Steve Jones
Born: September 3, 1955 (Happy Birthday!)
Resumé highlights: Co-founded the Sex Pistols. Isn’t that enough?
Guitar: Gibson Les Paul
Sound: Controlled anarchy
Hear for yourself: “E.M.I.” from Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)