30 Albums For Spring

30 Albums For Spring

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Here are 30 albums for a perfect spring soundtrack. In alphabetical order. Note the prevalence of Brit-Rock. And, as always, feel free to share your own springtime faves.

1. Jamiroquai – The Return of The Space Cowboy (1994)

Probably my favorite Jamiroquai album. Such a great combination of jazz and funk. Great experimentation as well. Right now I’m obsessed with the bass. Stuart Zender is unreal.

2.  Belle &Sebastian – Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (2005)

I love the rawness and simplicity on this album. Great, timeless songs. If you are a B&S fan this album is a must.

3.  Air – Talkie Walkie (2004)

This album has really held up well over time. I go back and forth with this album and Moon Safari as my favorite album. Great springtime songs: Cherry Blossom Girl, Run, and Universal Traveler.

4. Beth Orton – Central Reservation (1999)

A perfect springtime album. Beth is so good at creating great songs that seem both fresh and spontaneous.

5. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue (2009)

A perfect spring album for the urbanite.

6. Cat Stevens – Mona Bone Jakon (1970)

Cat’s first album he made after being bedridden with tuberculosis. Perfect spring songs: I Think I See The Light, Katmandu, and Fill My Eyes.

7. The Charlatans UK– Some Friendly (1990)

Great spring album you can listen to from beginning to end.

8. The Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)

My favorite Cocteau Twins album. Love the bright, warm sound.

9. The Cure -  The Head On The Door (1985)

A more upbeat Cure album with some great songs. Some great spring songs: In Between Days, Six Different Ways, Push and Close to Me.

10. The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (2000)

My favorite Dandy’s album. Another great springtime in the city album.

11. Gorillaz – Gorillaz (2001)

Just getting into these guys (I know, sometimes I am late with this sort of thing). This is their first album and the one I seem to enjoy most.  I love that the musicians come from all different backgrounds to come together and create a fresh, new sound.

12. Groove Armada – Vertigo (1999)

Great springtime grooves. See: Chicago, Whatever, Whenever, and Serve Chilled.

13. Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage (1965)

Definitely my favorite spring jazz record. When the sax comes in on the opening track it is pure bliss.

14. Jónsi – Go (2010)

Jónsi captured some great energy on this album. Great happy, bright songs.

15. Kula Shaker – K (1996)

A perfect album for those who enjoy some great experimental Brit-Rock.

16. Mew – And The Glass Handed Kites (2005)

A seriously good band out of Denmark. Experimental pop rock.

17. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)

Perfect album for spring. The sound they get from their guitars is ridiculous. An artistic masterpiece.

18. Nick Drake – Bryter Layter  (1970)

The somewhat, more upbeat Nick Drake album. Songs such as Hazey Jane I, Fly and Northern Sky are perfect spring songs.

19. Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

The album that got me into Oasis. They are masters of creating a big sound while still maintaining an urgency and freshness to it. I am obsessed with Morning Glory right now, probably my favorite Oasis song.

20. P.O.S. – Never Better (2009)

The energy on this album just reminds me of spring. Talented guy and lyricist.

21. Pearl Jam – Vs. (1993)

The album that had the difficult job of following Ten. Vs has more of a rawness to the sound than Ten which is the reason I included it on this list. I wasn’t into Pearl Jam when Ten came out (too young), but I definitely was a big fan when Vs came out. That’s why it will always be a special album for me. Rearviewmirror is as good of a song as they have ever written.

22. Phish – A Picture of Nectar (1992)

One of Phish’s best. Great energetic grooves such as Llama, Cavern and, or course, Tweezer.

23. Radiohead – Pablo Honey (1993)

I know some people don’t really like Pablo Honey, but I think it has held up pretty well. It is no OK Computer or Kid A, but the band was at a different state then. There are some great fun songs on this album. I’ve have some great memories of listening to this album.

24. Red House Painters – Red House Painters  (Rollercoaster) (1993)

An album that reminds me of strolling through San Fransisco in springtime. Listen to Grace Cathedral Park to hear what I mean.

25. Ride – Nowhere (1990)

The best of the early 90′s British shoegazer rock (along with Loveless and The Stone Roses). An album that’s worth hunting down for Brit-Rock enthusiasts.

26. Smashing Pumpkins – Pisces Iscariot (1994)

I remember when this came out it seemed to be marketed as another Pumpkins album, not a collection of B-sides and demos that it actually is. And after almost 20 years I pretty much consider this another pumpkins album. The songs are so good. Great energy and emotion in every song. Songs like Frail and Bedazzled, Whir, Hello Kitty Kat, and Starla are some of the best songs the pumpkins ever recorded. Pisces Iscariot is just further proof of how good these guys were at this time. For me, no other band was close.

27. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989)

An album, such as Loveless, that will be fun to listen to in 20 years (or 50 years). Every song is a classic. The bright washed-out guitars are a perfect spring soundtrack. I think if I had to choose my favorite spring album The Stone Roses would be it.

28. Supergrass –I Should Coco (1995)

Probably their best album. Some fun, in-your-face Brit-Rock on here.

29. Washed Out – Life of Leisure (2009)

Love this LP from Washed Out. Destined to be a classic. Infusing so much mood into electronic music isn’t an easy thing, but Ernest makes it seem effortless.

30. Yonder Mountain String Band  – Elevation (1999)

Gotta throw some bluegrass in here. Love the harmonies. Springtime in the Rockies.

New: Smashing Pumpkins – Tom Tom

I dig it. Good stuff.

Smashing Pumpkins – Hummer Live at Terminal 5 NYC ~ 07-26-2010

From a recent show. Great stuff, though I still feel like they have a kid on drums. Rock on.

Watch on Youtube if embedding is disabled

Freak: New Pumpkins Song

Nice and heavy.

LISTEN: Smashing Pumpkins Release New Song!

MP3

By Eric Sundermann on July 6, 2010 10:54 AM (9) Comments

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins / Photo courtesy thesmashingpumpkins/

Smashing Pumpkins just dropped the fifth song, “Freak,” from their planned 44-track album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, and it’s a union of Billy Corgan’s greatest traits: emotional pop-rock songwriting and heavy guitar heroics. Listen below!

The song is like a retrospective of Corgan’s career: the catchy chorus of bright guitars and cheerful na na na na nas recall his short-lived pop-rock side-project Zwan; the heavy, distorted bass lines revisitthe goth-rock moments of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (see “Bodies,” “Jellybelly”); and his lyrics are all early-Pumpkins, when Corgan was the romantic mouthpiece for disenfranchised youths.

The Smashing Pumpkins recently debuted their latest lineup (featuring new recruit Nicole Fiorentino on bass) with a sold out show at the 200-capacity Viper Club in Los Angeles, and will tour the U.S. through July. At the L.A. show, SPIN’s Kevin Bronson wrote that Corgan’s “leaner, meaner Smashing Pumpkins” delivered an “exhilarating performance.” Read the complete review here.

In late July, Smashing Pumpkins will join the Flaming Lips, the National, Spiritualized, and the Black Keys to help SPIN celebrate its 25th anniversary with a series of special concerts in New York City. Get more details here.

What do you think about “Freak”? Tell us in the comment section below!

Another Pumpkins Show Review

This one is from Spin. Seems like the critic loved the show as well, but he also talks about Billy and the talkative crowd a bit. I love it when Billy gets into it with the fans.

Smashing Pumpkins Triumph Over Hecklers in Debut

It Happened Last Night

By Kevin Bronson on July 1, 2010 11:01 AM (7) Comments

Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan / Photo by Andrew Herrold

Billy Corgan debuted his leaner, meaner Smashing Pumpkins on Wednesday night, roaring through a scintillating 80 minutes of songs old and new before ending the set nonplussed, a ukulele in his hand.

PHOTOS:

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Photos by Andrew Herrold

A ukulele?

Yes. Near the show’s end, Corgan took up a four-stringer to play a solo acoustic version of “Love Is the Sweetest Thing.” “I’ve waited a long time to play this thing,” he said, strumming the intro while waiting for the chatter from the crowd at West Hollywood’s Viper Room to die down.

“They’re not gonna be quiet, are they,” he said good-naturedly. “The ukulele cannot compete with L.A.” Some wiseguy yelled out “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” and Corgan took it in stride, joking, “They say never give your asshole uncle tickets, and there he is.”

After somebody else called out “Welcome Back Kotter” and the chatter continued, Corgan cut the song short, saying “I love you all, but I’m too old for this shit.” He departed the stage without playing the planned encore of “Freak” and “Today.”

It was an odd finish to an otherwise exhilarating performance at the 200-capacity Sunset Strip club. The Pumpkins main man largely refrained from engaging the audience in dialogue (except for a mid-set remembrance of the first time he played the Viper Room, and how chatty the crowd was then) and seemed buoyant and energized on the small stage with his smaller band.

Corgan has said in interviews that this four-piece edition of Pumpkins possess more “controlled fire,” and on Wednesday — a warm-up for a 15-date U.S. tour that beings Tuesday in Cleveland — all the pistons were firing.

The frontman and guitarist Jeff Schroeder — who besides Corgan is the only holdover from the Pumpkins’ 20th anniversary tour in 2008 — engaged in dueling pyrotechnics on “Ava Adore” and the new “Song for a Son.” New bassist Nicole Fiorentino’s thick lines stood out in “Ava Adore” and the intro to the metal marvel “United States.” And Jimmy Chamberlin’s replacement on drums, wunderkind Mike Byrne, was nothing short of wild child all evening.

With the likes of Perry Farrell and Matt Sorum watching from the VIP tables, Corgan was mostly smiles and shredding on this night. He wedged the line “Oh, California, look what you’ve done to me” into “Owata”; he seemed to delight in the unholy crunch of “Cherub Rock”; and he put more blood in the opening line of “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” than three vampire movies combined.

The new material — the Pumpkins played three of the four songs on the new EP, “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs for a Sailor” — fit in seamlessly with the old (although “Song for Son” seems better suited to an acoustic guitar), and at one point, during “Perfect,” the vibe was so feel-good that the crowd joined in with handclaps.

If only a few of them would have covered some select mouths a few minutes later.

Setlist
1. Astral Planes
2. Ava Adore
3. Hummer
4. As Rome Burns
5. A Song for a Son
6. Bleeding the Orchid
7. Stand Inside Your Love
8. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
9. Widow Wake My Mind
10. Perfect
11. Owata
12. Cherub Rock
13. That’s the Way (My Love Is)
14. United States
15. Love Is the Sweetest Thing [cut short]

Pumpkins Show Review: Artist Direct

Check out this review of last nights show at the Viper Room. It sounds too good to be true. But still, I’m starting to get excited about checking out their new lineup.

Live Review

The Smashing Pumpkins — The Viper Room, West Hollywood

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:35:32

The Smashing Pumpkins put on one of the best live shows ever at The Viper Room, ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino captures it all in his exclusive review…

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Live Review: The Smashing Pumpkins — The Viper Room, West Hollywood

How many rock ‘n’ roll legends are left?

Think about it for a moment.

How many bands out there can still make a difference with distortion? Or change the world with words? Or bring a smile with a solo? There are very few, and you can probably count them on two hands—if that. While you’re counting add The Smashing Pumpkins, perhaps add them twice because they’re so damn powerful on stage.

The Smashing Pumpkins ignited The Viper Room last night with one of the best shows that the Sunset Strip has seen in recent memory. Legendary Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan along with drummer Mike Byrne, guitarist Jeff Schroeder and bassist Nicole Fiorentino enchanted and entranced the crowd with a cavalcade of classics and new material from the Pumpkins’ storied career. Each and every song could’ve been a movie of its own, directed by Corgan’s impenetrable riffing and vivid lyrics. Then there’s that trademark delivery of his that runs the gamut from sensitive musing to unbridled emotional exorcism.

Their live show is one of the reasons The Pumpkins remain one of the greatest bands of all time proudly brandishing a sound and catalog that’s etched their place alongside Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in the pantheon. The Viper Room show solidified their legacy even further.

After the curtain opened, Corgan and Co. Led the 90-minute charge with “Astral Planes” from Teagarden By Kaleidyscope. Corgan’s bright melody morphed into pure rock ‘n’ roll ecstasy as his pristine vocals filled the Viper Room. The haze of riffs and melodies felt rapturous, pulling the audience into the Pumpkins’ tight embrace and never letting go. “Astral Planes” hearkens back to Gish, but there’s a modern refinement to it that gives the song another dimension and begs repeat listens. Most importantly, it simply slayed live. As Corgan ripped a flawless solo under the strobe light, it was clear that the Pumpkins are burning brighter than ever.

Fiorentino’s calculated bass rumble slowly kicked off “Ava Adore.” The bass took the place of the track’s trademark electronics, adding a new robust sense of soul. Fiorentino’s tone was so overpowering that it conjured “Nativity In Black” in all the right ways. Cor gan’s poignant lyrics took center stage and the psychedelic propulsion showed a band that’s raw, real and ready to take the world over—again. They started that road to domination here in The Viper Room, and those lucky enough to see it won’t ever forget it.

The harmonies in Siamese Dream classic “Hummer” transported the crowd into Corgan’s dreamscape seamlessly. He crooned out the melody while leaning into over the side of the stage Fender in hand. He smiled as the hook took over.

On the other end of the spectrum, Byrne’s blinding beat propelled “As Rome Burns” as Corgan summoned his inner metal head for some thrashing so elegant it could scare Slayer. The song sped up the set and Corgan felt at home tearing up the fretboard. Another Teagarden cut “song for a son” is the Pumpkins’ “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”. An ethereal intro from Schroeder and Corgan blasted into a metallic combustion of notes and a vocal howl that could renew faith modern music. Zeppelin never got as spacey as The Pumpkins did on “Bleeding the Orchid” and then an unforgettable “Stand Inside Your Love” last night though.

The show could be at times nearly tearjerking—”Stand Inside Your Love”—then brutally bloodletting—”As Rome Burns” with Corgan as the one guiding light.

“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” sounded more viciously vibrant than ever. Corgan and his cohorts ran through a supercharged version of the track that proved invigorating, incisive and inspiring.

It’s that harnessed chaotic energy that’s always made the Pumpkins so palpable and simultaneously palatable. However, it’s most evident on new cuts like “Widow Wake My Mind.” The saccharine snap of riffs at the song’s beginning skyrockets the band into the same realm occupied by all their heroes who reached outer space on a ladder of guitar chords.

Corgan’s got a sense of humor as sharp as his chops still. Before “Perfect,” he smiled, “Actually, the first time I ever played this song live. If you hear the bootleg, it’s all L.A. people talking.”

There was no one talking this time as the song reached melodic heights of Beatles brilliance. It was so good it could keep even the chattiest industry pundits quiet and under the Pumpkins’ spell.

Then again, Corgan has it right when it comes to rock.

“It’s all about the music, man” he laughed.
“Cherub Rock” and “That’s the Way” showed both sides of the band’s superpowers while an epic “United States” soared to heights beyond heaven with its pure guitar explosion.

Corgan screamed, “Revolution” as the feedback swells ruptured the room, and the word couldn’t have been more fitting.

From the unique song-at-a-time digital release of Teagarden to the Pumpkins’ infinitely incendiary live show, Corgan’s about to start another revolution.

Isn’t that what all legends do? Isn’t that what the world really needs now?

—Rick Florino
07.01.10

Passion Pit cover “Tonight Tonight” by the Smashing Pumpkins

Check it out. You do need to provide your name and email address to download, but it is free. Check out the Juno 106 at 1:07. One of my babies…

Passion Pit

Passion Pit

–DOWNLOAD–

Tonight, Tonight

Michael Angelakos presumably went into college in Boston to acquire knowledge but he came out of it with the beginnings of a music career. The singer/keyboardist recorded four songs alone in a dorm room for his girlfriend, which would eventually become the basis for Chunk of Change, an EP he’d make with some other Boston musicians under the name Passion Pit. The band quickly developed its sonic identity: Angelakos’ high, high voice singing big pop hooks in an electronic world of bleeps, blips and whirrs. That was the approach on “Sleepyhead,” an arresting and original single that started to draw national attention for the group. The group followed with their debut album Manners last year. It was showered with praise and songs were plucked for prime TV shows, resulting in the album’s critical and commercial success.

Angelakos says he was listening to a lot of “softer rock” when he first heard the sweeping Smashing Pumpkins song “Tonight, Tonight,” which was a Top 40 hit for the guitar-driven band in 1996. Main Pumpkin Billy Corgan started his band in the late-’80s in Chicago. By 1991 the group was in the middle of an alternative rock movement based on the buzzing sound and disillusioned spirit of its debut Gish. The band enjoyed further success two years later with Siamese Dream, which then led to its double-album opus Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which yielded four chart hits. Among them was “Tonight, Tonight,” a song that paired Pumpkins trademarks – Corgan’s high wounded voice, a quiet/loud dynamic – in a dramatic setting replete with stings.

Passion Pit’s re-crafting of the song strips away some of the ambitious bombast, losing the strings but none of the business. Angelakos’ high voice fits comfortably with Corgan’s lyrics, but instead of a piece of grandiose rock, he’s instead created a synthy underwater symphony.

SPIN25 concert

In NY, but sweet lineup…

Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins to Rock SPIN’s 25th Anniversary Concert Series

News

By William Goodman on June 11, 2010 9:45 AM

The Flaming Lips

SPIN is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a five-night music marathon this July, in partnership with ZYNC from American Express. The concerts will feature some of rock’s most vital, innovative, and influential acts, including the Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins, the National, Spiritualized, and the Black Keys!

The SPIN25 concerts will be held July 26-30 in New York City, the home of SPIN magazine since its beginning in 1985. Each night will feature five hours of performances, bringing 25 hours of music over the five-day period. Additional performers will be announced soon.

“More than a year ago, when we first started thinking about how to celebrate SPIN’s 25th anniversary, we thought it would be cool to curate a series of concerts featuring some of the great artists that have appeared in the pages of SPIN,” says SPIN magazine editor Doug Brod. “25 hours of music over five nights seemed like a nice hook, so we partnered with Bowery Presents to realize the dream. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the headliners, and just wait till you see the opening bands!”

Read the rest…

Smashing Pumpkins Announce “Intimate” US Tour

Where’s Minnesota? or even the Midwest?

Check out the quote in yellow. Pretty bold and typical Billy but it still makes me wonder…

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
ANNOUNCE INTIMATE U.S. TOUR DATES STARTING JULY 6
IN ADVANCE OF HEADLINE SLOTS AT
TWO SUMMER SONIC FESTIVALS IN JAPAN

The SMASHING PUMPKINS have announced a 12-show run of intimate venues beginning July 6 in Cleveland and wrapping July 21 in Tampa. This marks the iconic band’s first tour since December 2008 and will feature, says leader and founder BILLY CORGAN, “a balance of classics, a few obscure ones, and new ‘Teargarden’ material.” Last week, the Pumpkins released the four-song TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE VOL.1: SONGS FOR A SAILOR EP (Martha’s Music/Rocket Science Ventures). This is the first of an eventual 11 specially packaged EPs–taken from the in-progress 44-song work TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE–to be sold in record stores. Notably, all the music is being released online, for free, with no strings attached.

CORGAN and his band mates–guitarist JEFF SCHROEDER, drummer MIKE BYRNE and new bassist NICOLE FIORENTINO—are planning to invite select fans to attend their sound checks (details TBA). “We are going to do something unique, which is play an invite-only set during sound check of almost all new, unreleased songs,” says Billy. “We’re still figuring out a way to make it possible for some of the fans who’ll be in the line outside waiting to get in for that.”

Rehearsals for the tour “have been fantastic,” adds Billy. “I haven’t been this comfortable in a band situation since about 1995. Musically, we seem to have wound our way back to a more kinetic, electric, and psychedelic sound that reminds me of SP in Gish-Siamese era.”

The decision to play intimate venues keeps in line with the Pumpkins’ “long-standing tradition of trying to start up new tours at smaller venues because it allows the band the opportunity to take some chances musically,” explains Billy. The band has been recording and rehearsing in Los Angeles, and recently broadcast a full session live online: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-from-coldwater-studio

After the U.S. dates, the Pumpkins will head to Japan for four shows, including headline performances at two Summer Sonic festivals in Japan–August 7 in Tokyo (Marine Stadium) and August 8 in Osaka (Maishima).

The very limited edition collector’s EP TEARGARDEN BY KALEIDYSCOPE VOL.1: SONGS FOR A SAILOR (“A Stitch In Time,” “Widow Wake My Mind,” “A Song For A Son” and “Astral Planes”) is packaged in a beautiful silk-screened wooden box. Each box contains a 4-song CD, a vinyl 7” and a hand-carved obelisk from the shadows of the Incan ruins in Machu Picchu. Of the first EP, Jerry Shriver of USA Today described the music as “a delicious swirl of howling psychedelic rock and melodic ballads (5/25/10),” while Edna Gundersen (also of USA Today) singled out the song “A Stitch In Time,” noting that “Billy Corgan binds a pretty melody to shimmery acoustic pop psychedelia, thus extending his brand’s relevancy (6/1/10).” Elsewhere, Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times cited the “jammy, psychedelic side, with winding song structures, lyrics about endless seas and astral planes, and buckets of circa-’70s guitar fuzz (5/26/10).”

The Pumpkins also plan to tour South America and Australia in 2010 and hope to return to the U.S. later this year.
Here are the tour dates:

TUE	7/6	Cleveland, OH	House of Blues
THU	7/8	Grand Rapids, MI	Orbit Room
FRI	7/9	Columbus, OH	Newport Music Hall
SAT	7/10	Louisville, KY	Forecastle Festival
MON	7/12	Baltimore, MD	Rams Head Live
TUE	7/13	Richmond,VA	The National
THU	7/15	Norfolk, VA	The Norva
FRI	7/16	Charlotte, NC	Fillmore
SAT	7/17	Charleston, SC	Music Farm
MON	7/19	Orlando, FL	House of Blues
TUE	7/20	Ft. Lauderdale, FL	Revolution
WED	7/21	Tampa, FL	Ritz
SAT	8/7	Tokyo	Marine Stadium / Messe
SUN	8/8	Osaka	Maishima / Summer Sonic Site

Smashing Pumpkins – Astral Planes

The Pumpkins latest free song. Get it here. Not bad. I haven’t quite gotten into the “new” Pumpkins yet. Billy definitely seems like he’s taking the band in a different direction. Not only personnel-wise but also with his songwriting.