WNYU show @ Knitting Factory 12/15

Checked out some fantastic music at the WNYU 35th Anniversary show at the Knitting Factory earlier this month..
The spidery grooves of Pylon:
Deep space croonage from Grouper:
Skyward in triumph with noise-mongers Psychic Paramount:

Oasis MSG NYC 12/17/08

I managed to take this one photo before my friend's camera battery died. Whew! (This was the view from our seats.)

happy holidaze!

Substantula 2008 Top 28 of everything!

'Tis the season yo...
1) Portishead 'Third' (best album)
2) Howlin Rain 'Magnificent Fiend' (second best album)
3) Smoke Feathers (best unsigned band)
4) Esau Mwanwaya & Radioclit 'The Very Best' (best mixtape)
5) Rodriguez 'Cold Fact' (best reissue)
6) Septicflesh 'Communion' (best Greek metal record with massive orchestral flourishes)
7) Dreadzone 'For A Reason' (best song to put a smile on your face)
8) Vira 'Demo' (best unsigned metal act)
9) Guilty Simpson (most slept on)
10) RZA 'Long Time Coming' & GZA '0% Finance' (best Wu Tang Clan tracks)
11) Prince @ Coachella (best festival gig)
12) The Ex with Gétatchèw Mèkurya @ Lincoln Center NYC (best free show)
13) Seun Kuti @ Summerstage NYC (second best free show)
14) Mavis Staples @ BB Kings (best show at an awful venue)
15) WangWen @ The Spot Festival (best Chinese spacerock show in Denmark)
16) Bob Dylan 'Cocaine Blues' (best live vocal performance on a record)
17) Girl Talk 'Feed The Animals' (guiltiest pleasure)
18) Sunday Best, Brooklyn (best Brooklyn party)
19) Special Disco Version, NYC (best Manhattan party)
20) Edwyn Collins (best comeback nobody cared about)
21) Times New Viking 'Rip It Off' (lowest-fi)
22) M83 'Graveyard Girl' (best John Hughes theme wannabe)
23) Sonny J 'Disastro' (best Fatboy Slim revival attempt)
24) Syclops 'Where's Jason's K' (this year's 'Beau Mot Plage')
25) Buenos Aires, Argentina (best trip)
26) Duffy (best reason not to miss Amy Winehouse)
27) My Bloody Valentine 'Live @ ICA 6/13/08' (best bootleg)
28) Barack Obama (best reason to be hopeful)
Syclops aka Maurice Fulton's techno for smarties.
Howlin Rain's bad ass transcendant rock.
The great Mavis Staples returns.
Smoke Feathers emoting.

Pet Shop Boys!

Lots of activity in the Pet Shop Boys camp lately:
Their collaboration with with UK visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood 'I'm In Love With A German Film Star' is out on Kompakt Records and the #1 dance track in the UK. It's a cover of an old Passions song, check the video below:A new Xmas song feat. Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant, The Killers and Elton John is out now. Video below:The new Girls Aloud single 'The Loving Kind' is co-written by The Pet Shop Boys:And last but not least, a new Pet Shop Boys album is due in early 2009, produced by UK hitmakers Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Annie, Franz Ferdinand) and featuring guest turns by Johnny Marr (ex-Smiths) and Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Owen Pawlett (Final Fantasy). Color me excited.

Dreadzone 'For A Reason'

This is my favorite song currently. It's some sort of radiant reggaetronic slice of sunshine in a bottle, as chintzy as it is eternal. Guaranteed to put a smile on yr face. (Dreadzone were signed to Alan McGee's Creation Records back in the day, for those of you keeping track).

Download the track here.