The Napster Blog

Them Crooked Vultures Live at The Wiltern

Them Crooked Vultures may be a new group with a debut album of the same name, but experience is certainly not lacking with these guys. Consisting of Josh Homme and Alain Johannes of Queens of the Stone Age fame; Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana; and the one and only John Paul Jones of the legendary Led Zeppelin, saying that these guys "rock" would be a gross understatement. TCV most definitely know how to rock; but more than that, they are rock. Ushering in their debut album in fine style, they performed to a sold-out audience on Tuesday night at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. With Homme taking on lead vocal duties, one by one he introduced each member of the group starting with Johannes. Cheers got louder for Grohl, but none were louder and longer than the cheering for Jones. For many in the audience, including myself, it was exciting to see a legend of his caliber jamming on stage with more recent rock icons. TCV played for an hour and a half, performing most of the tracks from the album, including singles "New Fang" and "Mind Eraser, No Chaser."  And after the dizzying onslaught of winding riffs and crashing drums, Jones tied it up at the end with a keyboard solo, leaving the crowd in awe. Check their schedule and try to catch a show, as this is one show not to be missed.

Andrew Weatherall, A Pox on the Pioneers

If late '80s and early '90s "indie-dance" could be attributed to the efforts of one man, that man would be Andrew Weatherall. Moving from UK underground dance music journalism in the fanzine Boys Own to production duties for the Happy Mondays, New Order, and most famously Screamadelica, the breakthrough album by Primal Scream, Weatherall established that rocking the dance floor was possible in the most literal sense. Over the ensuing 20 years, he has continued to crank out genre-bending material in his own projects, Sabres of Paradise and Two Lone Swordsmen on the iconic label Warp, and through remix work with My Bloody Valentine, Björk, and many others. A Pox on the Pioneers, just released this August, is Weatherall's first full-length solo album, and it's evidence that his restless and inventive musical spirit hasn't dimmed since the heyday of acid house.

The xx, xx

Following their buzz-generating covers of two R&B tunes, Aaliyah's "Hot Like Fire" and Womack and Womack's "Teardrops," The xx released their debut, not surprisingly called xx, to near universal critical praise. The UK-based quartet know how to drive a concept home; from the band name and album title to the spare interplay between bass, drum machine, carefully meted-out keyboards, and hushed, interlocking vocals, the formula shouldn't convey a range of emotion, but it does. Like a distillation of early-period Cure, the small but influential catalog of the Young Marble Giants, and the restrained moments in Chris Isaak's repertoire, The xx manage to explore every crevice of solemn reflection without lapsing into monotony. It's an admirable balancing act, and if their recent remix of Florence & The Machine's "You Got the Love," is any indication, The xx is about ready to springboard to an even more dazzling display of technique and subtle dexterity.

The Dead Weather, Chickenfoot, The Company Band: 2009 Supergroups

So far, 2009 has been quite the year for supergroup and side-project releases. Here's a quick look at a few of the combinations we've seen this year.

The Dead Weather, Horehound: Crafty guitar character Jack White of The Raconteurs and The White Stripes teamed up with The Kills' Alison Mosshart, Queens of the Stone Age keyboardist/guitarist Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence of The Greenhornes for one of the more critically acclaimed releases of '09.

Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot: With a ton of media coverage and ad support, Chickenfoot was pretty hard to miss this year. But most didn't mind, enjoying the combined efforts of Van Halen alums Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, along with guitar whiz Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. We were lucky enough to chat with the fellas and catch an early show.

The Company Band, The Company Band: Out this week, the desert rock roots of Clutch (frontman Neil Fallon) and Fu Manchu (bassist Brad Davis), along with CKY drummer Jess Margera and Fireball Ministry frontman James Rota come together nicely in a new rock formation.

Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures: Out next week, Vultures showcases the multifaceted Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss mastermind Josh Homme, and legendary bassist John Pall Jones of Led Zeppelin fame. With that much talent, one can only assume it's a worthwhile venture. Grohl's been especially busy, but he does not disappoint.

Magnetic Morning, A.M.: The woozy, gothic indie rock sensibilities of Swervedriver singer/guitarist Adam Franklin set against the percussion of Interpol member Sam Fogarino was a pleasant surprise toward the beginning of the year. We found their sound vaguely haunting, yet charming in its melancholia. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

Julian Casablancas, Phrazes for the Young

Although just eight songs long, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas' first solo album, Phrazes for the Young, clocks in at a longer total run time than his regular band's debut, almost as if he's shoehorning all of the unused ideas he's had over the past 10 years into every song. The Strokes' signature chiming guitars now churn around keyboards, drum machines, and shifting time signatures.The title, a reference to an Oscar Wilde essay, hints at Casablancas' current perspective as a married, soon-to-be family man ready to impart his collected observations. If this is Casablancas wrapping up a package (with excess paper and string), it will be interesting to hear how The Strokes unpack it and put the pieces inside to use on their next album.

Phoenix, Mew, Passion Pit, and More: SPIN “Find ’em First” Edition Playlist

One of the best ways to get the most out of your Napster membership is to branch out from your favorites and listen to new music. You can browse through the new releases that are constantly being added to the service, explore the "other members like" lists (on every artist page), use the Automix button—the list goes on. Napster playlists are another great way to hear a variety of music, and now we have a special edition dedicated to up-and-coming artists.

The SPIN "Find 'em First" edition playlist is an exclusive version of the "Find 'em First" playlist series we've been producing with our parent company Best Buy, based on their new-music program of the same name. In conjunction with noted music magazine SPIN, Best Buy and Napster have put together this playlist to complement the special edition of the magazine featuring a great batch of "Find 'em First" artists. The exclusive 56-page "mini-mag," available only at Best Buy stores, includes a free 20-track CD of music by the featured artists, plus a three-month Napster subscription that includes 15 free MP3 downloads. That's a whole lotta music.

But if you haven't yet made it out to Best Buy to pick up the mag (or even if you have), The SPIN "Find ‘em First" edition playlist will give you a taste of what's in store, as in a bunch of great music you might not have heard before. Phoenix, Juliette Lewis, Passion Pit, The Ting Tings, and Mew are just a few of the artists represented, and every one is worth a listen. Who knows? One of them may end up being your new favorite.

Little Dragon, Machine Dreams

Machine Dreams is Little Dragon's second album, and as the title signals, is a step farther into intricate electro-pop territory, and farther away from the soul-oriented, downtempo roots of the Swedish band. Singer Yukimi Nagano has previously appeared with Swell Session and Koop, two acts that dabble in jazzy retro-futurism, but songs like "My Step," "Feather," and the shimmering set-closer "Fortune" highlight lessons learned from Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys. Yukimi still swings though, perhaps now more than ever, and as Little Dragon continues to incorporate influences, look for them to add to their following and for intimate scenes like this to become rare.

Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and Them Crooked Vultures

It's a bit difficult to believe that Dave Grohl has been a part of the alternative rock scene for well over 20 years now. Between the catalogs of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, nearly any modern rock fan will have a favorite song from the past couple of decades that Grohl had a part in creating. And while that alone is impressive, he has also managed to find the time to play with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and most recently, Them Crooked Vultures, his side project with Josh Homme from QOTSA and John Paul Jones, of Led Zeppelin fame. So, at this point, it seems fitting to highlight three recent new releases linked to the very prolific Dave Grohl: The biggest of the three is the Greatest Hits album (pictured) from Foo Fighters, Grohl's own band, formed after the end of Nirvana following Kurt Cobain's suicide. It's the first hits package from the band in their 15-year history and contains two new songs, including the lead single "Wheels." The second in the batch is the debut single from the previously mentioned Them Crooked Vultures, entitled "New Fang." In addition to Grohl, Homme, and JPJ, TCV also includes QOTSA guiartist Alain Johannes and is expected to release a debut album before the month ends. The third release is arguably the most talked about: This week we finally see an official release of Nirvana's legendary live set from 1992's Reading Festival in England. Live At Reading highlights the grunge heroes at their peak, before anyone knew that just a year and a half later it would all be over. Each of these three releases say a lot about Dave Grohl—not only his one-of-a-kind musicianship and ability to make good friends, but his willingness to keep striving through it all. The man clearly loves his work.

Bauhaus, 1979–1983

"Undead, undead, undead..." Three words that bring dark joy to every haunted heart.

 

 

 

 

 
 

New Moon Soundtrack

Will The Twilight Saga's New Moon album be the most popular soundtrack of the year? Its #2 ranking on the Billboard chart after being out for only a week strongly suggests it might. Regardless, the demand for it is a given following the massive success of the first installment, and the brigade of artists appearing this time would appear to guarantee even greater success: Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Grizzly Bear, and Muse are among the elite to lend their musical skills and reputations to the franchise. In fact, the entire soundtrack consists of songs exclusively written for, inspired by, or even in some cases re-written for the film. Apparently, music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas had to turn down quite a few acts who would like to have been on the soundtrack, which apparently is quite a different situation from how for the first Twilight soundtrack was put together. With that level of intensity going into it, it's no wonder that this is a mix that "Twihards" will delightfully feast upon until the movie hits theaters on Nov. 20.