A nice, sunny Friday 5!!

Illinois – “Hang On” from The Adventures Of Kid Catastrophe
Though they have never released a proper album, Illinois (who are actually from Bucks County, PA) have assembled an incredibly ambitious project.  Currently in its sixth installment, The Adventures Of Kid Catastrophe has been raging on since last November, with no foreseeable end.  Apparently, there are over 100 songs in the series, with each EP containing three or four.  And they said that there weren’t any new ideas.

Rufus Wainwright – “Going To A Town” from Release The Stars
The eldest child of the folk dynasty, Rufus composed this ode to American dissent back in 2007.  When the single was released, Rufus explained the song’s meaning on his website: “The meaning is very plain, mainly that I’m having problems with the United States at the moment, as we all are. We all love America, I think everybody does in a certain way. But we have to admit that there’s just been too many mistakes made in the recent past over too many issues, and we’ve just got to deal with that fact.”

Dogs Die In Hot Cars – “Something For The Good Boys” from Pop Nonsense
About five years after their incredible debut, popsters Dogs Die In Hot Cars are finally back, not just with a new album, but a damn neat story behind it.  Shortly after touring for Please Describe Yourself (including a show that I saw), the group went back into the studio to record their follow-up.  Unfortunately, they broke up right after those sessions, but lead singer Craig Macintosh started posting demos and individual tracks of the songs on a blog.  Now, several years later, the band is back together and Pop Nonsense is on the horizon (with royalties checks to anyone who helped contribute to the songs’ final versions).

The The – “The Sinking Feeling” from Soul Mining
Ever the creative force, Matt Johnson went through many phases under the guise of The The.  Originally an outsider synth-pop outfit, the project evolved into an acoustic-jazz combo and a one-man country tribute by their last recordings.  “The Sinking Feeling” comes from the debut under the The The moniker, which makes this one of the most unusually structured sentences I’ve ever written.

Pixies – “Head On” from Trompe Le Monde
If you’ve ever seen ‘loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies,’ you know all too well that there aren’t many people in this world as depressed as the Boston alt-rockers.  Their last album, barring any future studio ventures, featured a more aggressive sound, even for them.  It also featured this cover of The Jesus And Mary Chain’s most new wave-styled tune, re-imagined as a searing blitz.  Oddly enough, the Pixies version probably contains more feedback than the original, which is saying a lot.

~ by E. on April 17, 2009.