INDIEBLOGHEAVEN

The Top 25 Punk Albums Of All Time

These lists are always up for debate, but this one is pretty solid.

IGN has it

Jarvis Cocker Announces US Tour Dates

It's a small list of cities, but the Pulp frontman should be in high demand on these solo dates.

04-23 New York, NY - Webster Hall
04-27 Indio, CA - Empire Polo Field (Coachella)
04-28 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
04-30 Seattle, WA - Showbox
05-01 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore

Bloc Party Disses Jack White

Apparently, the fact that Jack White only wants to be an entertainer and not talk politics, is pretty upsetting to Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke.

NME has more

The Shins Album Lands At #2

They're not so indie anymore. The Shins have officially arrived, with Wincing The Night Away debuting at #2 this week, on the Billboard Album Chart.

They had never been higher than #86.

Billboard has more

Youth Group

The band that made it big in the US on The O.C., has just released their second album Casino Twilight Dogs. It's Youth Group, who's inspired cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young," first grabbed our attention. Hopefully now the audience will grow even bigger.

Lyrics aside, these guys are solid. They lean more in the avenue of the poppier rock of 90's alternative bands, than being ultra heavy. Don't let that deter you from giving these guys a listen.

The Australian band shows they know how to write great hooks, as track for track, most of the songs come through as a potential single. There's a great drum pattern on the track "Under the Underpass" that sticks to you after the first listen. Several other highlights include the Top 5 UK hit "Sorry," and the darker leaning "The Destruction of Laurel Canyon."

Youth Group-Catching and Killing mp3

Youth Group-Under The Underpass mp3 both from Casino Twilight Dogs

Live Review-Arcade Fire In London

The band played one of their church gigs.

Read the review from Rolling Stone here

The Good The Bad and The Queen Announce US Tour Dates

The Good, the Bad, and the Queen, featuring Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn, former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and drummer Tony Allen, will begin a North American tour March 11 in Toronto. The five date tour continues in New York on March 12, Washington, D.C., on March 14 and New Orleans on March 18.

The band will also play Coachella, on April 28th in California.

Kevin Federline's Super Bowl Commercial

This is pretty funny. If you haven't seen it yet, it's K-Fed's much hyped Nationwide spot, to air during the big game.

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It's Official-The Police To Reunite At The Grammy's

This is probably the worst kept secret in recent memory.

According to The L.A. Times and several others, The Police will reunite for the Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Feb. 11. The reunion comes 30 years to the month after the Police released their debut single, "Fall Out."

Word is that they have been rehearsing in Vancouver secretly of course, for a reunion tour in the summer.

Kristin Hersh

 

Photo-Dina Douglass

It's been four years since Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses) released a solo album as Learn To Sing Like A Star came out last week.

I've heard two different stories on the album title. One story says the name came about then she received the same spam e-mail with that in the subject line. The other comes from these being the days of American Idol, something that seems more manufactured. Apparently Hersh isn't a fan.

Now on Yep Roc records, Hersh and her 20+ years of songwriting shine brightly on this disk.

You can hear the wear and tear in her voice a la Marianne Faithful on the track, "Day Glow." When she says the line "Getting up is what hurts," you can actually believe her. On the first single "In Shock" the piano driven attack is one of the albums highlights.

This record seems to abandon the acoustic guitar and embrace the electric, adding a strings accompaniment. It's a nice texture as Hersh played all the instruments on the album except drums, as those duties go to Muses drummer David Narcizo.

Hersh is one of the better female songwriters alive today, and this record is a nice highlight in her long career.

Kristin Hersh-Day Glow mp3

Kristin Hersh-Peggy Lee mp3 both from Learn To Sing Like A Star

Kristin Hersh on Myspace