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What's up with the Pontiac ad floating right over Leslie Feist's head? They haven't made a great car since this model.
As I mentioned in my review of his Troubadour show, Ken Andrews doesn't need an introduction. If you were alive in the '90s and played guitar, Failure was on your radar screen and was one of your favorite bands. Ken Andrews continues his tradition of stellar songwriting with his solo album Secrets of The Lost Satellites. I was lucky enough to catch him via ichat. Here is how it went down...

Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
2007 | Nonesuch
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Sky Blue Sky,
their 6th release, is surprisingly good. It’s a mellow listen that
slowly climbs in tempo 'till the 5th track, "Side With the Seeds," and
then dabbles around, not lingering too long on any one particular
style. It makes for a good mix that doesn’t stagnate. There is a very
strong 70’s laid back element throughout the whole album (I’m reminded
of Fleetwood Mac and even some James Taylor), with fewer tendencies to
be more along the lines of alt-country although the title track, "Sky
Blue Sky" and "Please Be Patient With Me" do echo back to those earlier
styles. The third track, "Impossible Germany," has an incredible amount
of buzz surrounding it over the internet. Soft and lulling it
encapsulates the vibe of the whole album in just under 6 minutes.
The
only incongruous element here is that the loneliness and isolation
found in the lyrics in many songs does not really exist in the vocals.
Jeff Tweedy sounds so carefree that I find myself washing over the
lyrics instead of really paying attention. However, I think that
repeated listenings will solve that problem. Overall, Wilco pulled
together a more mature album that shows they have advanced great steps
in their career.
-Elana Rintala
Directed by Walter Stern
An End Has a Start drops July 17th on Epic. This track is the single, very reminiscent of Interpol/Ian Curtis.
Directed by Yusef Pirhasan
Black Lips have a new album coming out in September, their first for Vice. Before that "Cold Hands" will become a UK single on June 4th. The video consists of recent European tour footage.