Archive for the 'bonus' Category

Give Yerself a Bonus! End of July Edition

Published by
tyler
July 27, 2007 in bonus, rehash, summertime and tunes. 1 Comment

When we last presented you with goodies, it was as a condensed effort to sum up the first half of 2007 of ALL the goodies that were out there. A valiant effort, and you should catch up if you missed it the first time around. Now, surely we missed a few then, and there’s no question more have risen from the depths since. Because both those conditions transpired, we decided to brew up another batch of goodies just for you, awww.

[badly drawn boy] Don’t Stop Believing (Journey cover)
Badly Drawn Boy on the b-side of his latest limited 7″ does a live cover of what may be the only Journey song I know (and love), as he did a number of times on his last tour.
[our love to admire] The Heinrich Maneuver (Epworth remix)
Paul Epworth does an awesome job giving this track a dance-floor rhythm, and some wonderful glitch-electronic appeal. It is glorious.
[crystal castles - huh?] Crystal Castles Save Christmas
Another wiry treat from the Crystal Castles duo: this time they tackle the Grinch with their Atari 5200! Can you hear the elves slaving over the very toys that graced your tree? I sure can.
[lily allen] Smile (acapella)
It may not hold a candle to The Go! Team’s acapella of Grip Like a Vice, but it’s still a treat to hear Lily Allen’s voice all by its lonesome.

Now a note on the next tracks: ever since Guitar Hero 2 I’ve been lusting after two tracks by two different bands featured under the in-game Bonus Tracks section. One was Made in Mexico’s “Yes We Can” which, for all its bizarreness and change-ups in the all-too-short 4 minutes, just leaves me with chills.

The other is Freezepop’s “Less Talk More Rokk,” a track of pure aural bliss when that staircase synth riff hits & repeats. Now, I had a chance to give a good, hard listen to Freezepop’s Future Future Future Perfect only to find that they completely dropped the ball on the album version of the track. Here I am, thinking it’s all about the rokkin’ when all they do is blather over the riff, completely drowning out its awesomeness. What gives? Anyway, for the last bonus, I present you with the two best GH2 tracks:

[guitar hero II] Less Talk More Rokk (GH2 version)
Yes We Can (GH2 version)

Courtesy of Freezepop & Made in Mexico.

I’m curious, what were your most-played Guitar Hero tracks? Give a shout in the comments! But please, for the love of god don’t say it was “Mother”.

Left-Over Dub.

Published by
matt.
July 24, 2007 in loungers, dub, bonus, bassbass, summertime and tunes. 0 Comments

With all the events of the last weekend (Tyler leaving the province, the strike at our university coming to a ferocious climax with administration threatened lock-outs, student rallies, et cetera…), alongside the fact that I just didn’t really hear anything new that inspired me to write, it has been a pretty damn quiet weekend here at T.C.

But, what I have been listening to is kind of what I always seem to return to when there is strife afoot. One of my all-time favourite genres: the dub.

It seems this summer has been pretty classic for dub re-issues. I’ve been listening to two such releases pretty much constantly the past week, in attempt to put the real world on the back-burner.

First up, is the classic Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Upsetters box-set Ape-ology. This collection is two full-length CDs long, containing three of Perry’s greatest albums (Super Ape, Return of the Super Ape and Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread) plus seven bonus tracks of dub-goodness. All of the music has been remastered and features Perry firmly in control at his Black Ark Studio.

Ape-ology.

As happens with a lot of these reissues, there is history behind the release. For instance, the previously internationally available version of Super Ape was not sequenced in the order that Perry wanted. Hell, Return… and Roast Fish were NEVER released outside of Jamaica and have been huge collector’s items for the past 30 years. To have them released, together, at such a discounted price (you can grab the whole set for around $20)… is so awesome it almost hurts.

The other release that has been on constant rotation around here is another full-fleshed rerelease. This time we’re checking out Tommy McCook (the infamous Cuban-born Jamaican saxophonist who would help form & define what it meant to be a Skatalites), alongside the dub/reggae backing-band, the Aggrovators and producer Bunny Lee. But! Not only is this pairing enough to get excited over… but add in King Tubby’s uncanny production skills on top and this release is the definition of heavy.

At Dub Station.

Additionally, the rerelease isn’t merely the original album. While it does feature all 12 of the original tracks, Trojan Records saw fit to unearth an additional DOZEN tracks from the same era to “pad” out the CD to a glorious 76 minutes. If you are familiar with traditional ska, reggae or dub, you’ll recognize quite a few of these tracks - from classic Wailer’s riffs to Delroy Wilson’s ‘Put It On’ - but hearing them all reinterpreted, the album comes together in the best ways possible.

live up:
Lee “Scratch” Perry & the Upsetters - Dread Lion.
Lee “Scratch” Perry & the Upsetters - Throw Some Water In.
King Tubby meets Tommy McCook & the Aggrovators - A Happy Dub.
King Tubby meets Tommy McCook & the Aggrovators - Joy Soy Dub.
K.T. meets T.M. & the Aggrovators - Jah Love Rockers Dub.

Consider both records essential dub purchases that are worth far more than the mere 20 bones requested from you. Respect.

Strawberry Jam Sessions / Peacebone B-side

Published by
tyler
July 7, 2007 in b-side, bonus, folk and tunes. 0 Comments

[borrowed from flamelia.com]

The internet Gods love you more than you will ever know. So much so, they’ve seen fit to bestow upon you a Strawberry Jam outtake jam. This is probably the most conventional sounding you will ever hear Animal Collective, even moreso than Purple Bottle acoustic. I guess it’s not called Safer for nothing?

If you’re still getting the leg-shakes in a trembly jello-anticipation of this album, dig this track; it’ll help you to sleep tonight, and pay close attention for that recurring vocal crack. This track will be included on the Peacebone single when that hits.

mp3:
 Animal Collective - Safer

Semi-Annual Bonus! Track Wrap-Up, 2007

Published by
tyler
July 6, 2007 in bonus, rehash, summertime and tunes. 5 Comments

If you’re like me, then you probably miss out on things just by virtue of excitement by an initial album release. Of course, everyone knows there’s gonna be a foreign release or a re-issue, and the wholesome goodness of Japan packages are always chock full of delicate, succulent fan-loving bonus tracks, like sweet sweet candy.

Here’s a run down on some goodies you may have missed this year from some of our favourite releases:

[myth takes cover] Myth Takes (Acoustic Take)
This acoustic-version title track from !!!’s latest will more or less highlight the fact that underneath all those layers of synth and beats, Chk Chk Chk still has class. It plays like a lo-fi southern guitar tune, and will hold your attention even despite the new context and sparse lyrics.
[ga ga ga ga ga] Leave Your Effects…
I Got Mine
Classic Spoon b-sides accompanied Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga as a bonus EP. These two are short (really short), they’re sweet, and they’re both a nostalgia throwback to the simplistic Spoon that everyone remembers.
[the good the bad and the queen] Nature Springs (live)
My favourite track from the album; its bonus version is a wonderful version recorded Live at the Tabernacle. You can get a sense of their live presence and really feel them more as a band than the studio-wonder image that comes off the shine and polish of the album.
[seven swans] I Went Dancing With My Sister
2004’s Seven Swans saw a 7″ reissue this year to the delight of many. It was the height of Sufjan as a singer-songwriter before he went all orchestral on us. This track is a heartfelt acoustic & bass track that I’m tempted to say is all about his incestuous sister-love. Either way, it’s simply divine, and his falsetto is top-drawer.
[our endless numbered days] Belated Promise Ring
Like homestyle potatoes and gravy, Beam paints a delicate image of a lover who’s reluctant to commit. Very summertime fluffy and breezy, as Iron & Wine was on Our Endless Numbered Days.

Also, apparently there’s a Bon Jovi re-issue with some standard wankery going on that I’m too embarrassed to post here. I loathe that man’s music career, but did you ever see him as a vampire hunter? That shit was glorious.

Recent Retaliations.

  • zeus: rowboat - absolutely beautiful.
  • rovzuljgan: Wow, cool man, big thanks! http://jamzfqsvdcph.com
  • Train Dolphins: Thanks your article is funny. I like your site.. thank you again
  • olly: you are too analytical. “The night starts here” is a terrific track… with a great prequal in...
  • cloudhead: Cloud cult not radiohead? Well radiohead DID finally get a myspace after all these years:...
  • jay: i know the lyrics sammi baby email me on jay211091@hotmail.co.uk
  • bagula bhagat: yeah this stuff is truly ingenius.. notice how the female vocals keep appearing as though in a...
  • squashed: are you guys over with the hiatus thing? hurry up. can’t be that much studying to be done. :P






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