Music for Coders: June 8
One of the things I’ve realized since I started blogging is that I won’t be able to write long posts about music every week. Every now and then I may have time to pull it off, but most weeks I’ll have to be content with a quick review of the week’s highlights.
This week, I’ll look at new releases, new to iTunes releases, explain how iTunes made me miss some good music, and even give some links to free downloads.
This Week’s New and Notable Releases
- The Bees: Octopus
(LOVE IT! Think Beatles/Sir Douglas Quintet/Small Faces/Kinks/Spoon/Shins/Eels, with a touch of reggae.) - Sean Hayes: Flowering Spade
(folk-rock which reminds me of Tracy Chapman) - The Police: The Police (Remastered)
(also on tour this year, at least until they kill each other) - Various Artists: We All Love Ella
(be sure to check out Airmail Special by the ultra-impressive 13-year-old Nikki Yanovsky) - Various Artists: Ultra.Summer 01 - Mixed by David Waxman
(a guilty summer pleasure)
Not New but New to iTunes
- The Brand New Heavies: All About the Funk
(originally from 2004, vocals by Nicole Russo)
I also discovered that I’ve been missing some new releases! Apparently, the long lists on iTunes’ “Music: Just Added” page are incomplete. I walked past my local music store and saw announcements for groups that would definitely have caught my eye. Sure enough, iTunes has them, and lists the correct release date, but they don’t show up on their release lists. Boo. So I’ve been looking for a more reliable source for new releases without much luck. I just want a clear list of the full albums, not singles and not re-issues, that come out each week. Let me know if you know where to find such a list.
Recent Notable New Release I Missed Previously
- The National: Boxer
(A Brooklyn band with potential.) - Stars: Do You Trust Your Friends?
(Love them, even more after seeing them at the ACL Festival last year.) - Wheat: Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
(more Brit-pop than their last album but the drums are just as catchy as on I Met A Girl.)
And lastly, a few free downloads for your sampling pleasure. (Thanks to Salon.com’s Audiofile for several of the links.)
Free Single Downloads
- David Byrne: “I Wish”
(This is the “Talking Heads version” of David Byrne I like.) - The Damned: “Neat Neat Neat”
(A remastered version of a punk classic) - Nick Drake: “Blues Run the Game”
(If you like Elliot Smith, you’ll like Nick Drake.) - Immaculate Machine: “Jarhand”
(From their new album which was a notable new release last week) - The New Pornographers: “My Rights Versus Yours”
(Canada’s best band, regardless of what Arcade Fire and Flaming Lips fans may tell you.) - The Polyphonic Spree: “Running Away”
(Their new album is due soon.) - Elliott Smith: “High Times”
(From the album which I previously blogged)
