The USA is Where It's At

So I'm back in the country after my extended trip to Buenos Aires & unfortunately I've got no cool, underground Argentinian rock to share, as all anyone seemed to listen to there was ungodly trance/techno/house (really, what's the difference, can someone enlighten me?) shit. But the music world has been blazing nontheless in my absence, and I'm eager to share some of it. God Bless the USA (and countries that send us their music):

I guess before I go any further, I have to address the first show I attended since I came back; one that I'd been looking forward to for a few months. My favorite new band, Jukebox the Ghost, played the Echo Friday night, marking their first ever LA gig, and seemed to win over a truckload of new fans (my friend included), many of whom came for headlining band Say Hi. The set was preceded by an epic sound-check which became a performance in and of itself, but the labor was worth it: the band sounded better than any act I've ever heard at The Echo. Nearly every word, drumbeat and note was crystal clear, which is no easy feat, as many who've endured the venue's sound-system can attest. As for the actual substance of the performance, yeah, they pretty much nailed that too. I've been listening to the band's debut LP all summer, and while a couple of my favorite tracks were left off the set, the ones that made it sounded even better live. To boot, I briefly spoke to each band member after the show, and they were all incredibly cool. Not that you probably assumed they were dicks or anything. I'm just saying. Buy Let Live & Let Ghosts (or singer Ben Thornewill's excellent solo LP) on i-tunes now if you dig Ben Folds 5, Billy Joel, or They Might Be Giants. Or good music, really. It'll definitely be making my top ten list later this year. To my NYC readers; make sure you check them out in the coming weeks. It looks like they're playing a bunch of shows in the city, sadly just before I get into town. In the meantime, check out a new track they showed off last night below, or preview their other songs right HERE on their Myspace.


Jukebox the Ghost - "Nobody" (live for woxy.com)

Obviously, the only things people have been wanting to talk about in the two weeks since my last post are Britney and Kanye, neither of whom need my publicity, but neither of whom I'd feel like posting about anyway. The former because I'm not in a campy mood (or else I would have posted Jukebox the Ghost's badass Ace of Base cover...that's right) and the latter because, quite frankly, I don't know what to make of what he's doing right now. The second, mastered version of "Love Lockdown" has slowly grown on me, but the two other tracks that leaked this week honestly haven't knocked me off my feet. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely intrigued. I'm just not sure there's anything worth highlighting out of context yet. Whatever 808s and Heartbreak is, it's at least a risky experiment from an artist who could be content to stay in autopilot, and for that reason alone it's going to be debated tirelessly for a while. So I'll give it a rest til it actually comes out. But as I generally try to include at least one mainstream artist in these posts, I guess I'll toss in a little ditty that this guy quietly released. Apparently he's up to something big. And if this track is any indication, it's also going to be back-to-basics awesome.....


Eminem - "I'm Having a Relapse"

In more white rap news (and two white rap songs in a single post has to be a record for Shark Party thus far), The Streets released Everything is Borrowed, his 4th LP, in the States the other week, and while it's not his best work, there are still some solid songs. The title track is definitely one of these, but as it's been circulating for a while now, I figured I'd sample something fresher. Even on an off day, Mike Skinner remains a legend. Everything is Borrowed is available now.


The Streets - "Heaven for the Weather

Gin Widmore is a brand new, 21 year old, super-hot import from Australia, who's quietly building some buzz. This means she's probably annoying as fuck in real life; the type of girl whose idea of the US is buying leg-tight Tsubis in Nolita, performing an "impromptu" set at Pianos in the LES, air-kissing at Socialista, crashing at the Mercer or the Bowery hotel, then flying home, most likely lecturing strangers on the benefits of Parliamentary government and using the phrase, "Sweet Azz", the entire time. Sorry, but I have an unhealthy exhaustion towards NYC/Australian hipsters. Anyway, whatever Gin Widmore the future It Girl may be (and call me cynical, but really, give it a year), Gin Widmore the artist is really fucking talented, with a unique voice and some solid songwriting skills. And I can't get this song out of my head.

--------------------Song of the Week-----------------------
Gin Widmore - "Under My Skin"



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Finally, sit back, relax and enjoy the kind of music that would puzzle the shit out of the South American trance-heads I met all week: Raw, ugly and shameless garage rock from everyone's favorite Tennessee whackjob, Jay Reatard. His new singles collection is now out on i-tunes, and it's very, very good, providing some pulsing riffs while managing to be his most accessible work yet. Even if you're not feeling this halfway through, hold on. Like the best garage rock, the ending ties the whole thing together.


Jay Reatard - "See/Saw"