Friday, December 7, 2007


I'm stoked that it's become seasonally cold here in NYC, with a few bad rainstorms and strong winds to get the trees up to speed. Even a week or two ago, the colors hadn't come out... very weird autumn here, it felt a few months behind. Could it be climate change?

Anyhow, the traditional record promotion season ends next week with the last chart reports taken as holiday music edges out new albums. I'm sure everyone in that scene needs a good rest. I wonder what albums are coming out in the new year, does anyone have one they are looking forward to?

--What's an "album" anyway?

I will try to come up with some picks for upcoming releases, considering my "lists, and lists of lists" post below. People like lists and I have to make some of mine public. I do know there is a new Shelby Lynne ("Shelby Lynne channels Dusty" LA Times live review 11/1/07) album coming out in Feb 08 (just typed 02 by "accident").

I was surprised to see KEXP (not their link -- surprise!) on the cover of the NY Post today (see above for detail). Someone used an mp3 player to record a cop's interrogation and the paper used a Zune tuned to the station. Nice hit for them, it inadvertently shows you can listen to the radio on it and their new colors. Do you know anyone that has one? The new tv ad with kids listening and sharing on a bus seems like a familiar idea.

Remember this: "Won't you please save this seat for someone with a Zune?"

Oh they also mention the Grammys™ on the cover of the Post. Not a bad day for music actually. Amy Winehouse proves the business is still growing new superstars and there is still some meaning to the term "rock star." It's an old fashioned way of doing things that permeates more than just her retro sound, not intentionally of course. But due to her behavior, I'm looking forward to NOT seeing her endorse shampoo, phones, resorts, etc. Maybe she can be on "UK Ink."

It's not a music event but I saw it on the way home from Carbon/Silicon the other night. That was a pretty good show, but not because of their great songs. The band had exuberance, their guitar jamming was a treat for anyone who enjoyed Mick Jones' playing in The Clash. Tony James will never live down pictures of his old band Sigue Sigue Sputnik, one of the grand failures in the history of the business (in my opinion at least). Transvision Vamp also comes to mind, maybe they even had some common pedigree?






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