So, it’s good news & bad news again, both related to CD release dates now.

The bad news first, this time: Billboard has announced that Interscope will be dumping more Guns ‘n’ Roses on us in late November when, after fourteen years and $13,000,000, Chinese Democracy becomes available, exclusively at Best Buy. Bad as it sound, there are two things I’m looking forward to: (1) the best possible review being “It’s an okay album but it really wasn’t worth the wait,” and (2) my free Dr. Pepper. Aside from that, I’m fine if we never post another word about it.

The good news involves the incomparable MC Frontalot’s new album Final Boss, which is released on November 4, but if you preorder it now, as I did, you can download it immediately and listen to it all the time until your physical copy is delivered unto you. Really, there isn’t a reason not to, unless you don’t like Front and are not interested in his new collection of recorded songs.

I’ve been enjoying it a lot, though. The beats are even tighter and more varied than last year’s Secrets from the Future, which could sound a little same-y in places. “Wallflowers”, the first single, and “Tongue-Clucking Grammarian” both have a dancefloor groove designed to get you hopping (”Wallflowers” even gives you instructions on how to dance the “Margaret Thatcher”). “Shame of Otaku” features a very chilled beat, like AM radio lounge meets G-Funk, and a Japanese hook. “Canadia” makes a fat beat out of “Oh Canada” and features Jesse Dangerously and Wordburglar rebutting Front’s accusation that Canadia is unpatriotic. At this point I will stop going song by song and encourage you to do it yourself.

MC Frontalot Official | On Myspace | On Facebook | On Twitter

The Red Album is being released June 3rd, all you crazy Cuomo emo-licks fans.

New MP3s below.

I gotta say, this album sounds a little more emo than my previous Weezie experience.

Weezer | MySpazz | Preorder The Red Album

 Weezer - Troublemaker [2:47m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Weezer - Heart Songs: Play in Popup | Download

Allegedly, Chris Walla’s new solo release, Field Manual, contains two tracks that were left off of Death Cab for Cutie’s 2005 gem Plans. I can’t find anywhere that tells me which songs these were, and most of these songs sound like they could have come from some point in Death Cab’s past, if you let them. But, well, Chris produces all of DCfC’s material, he’s major creative input in the band. You know, kind how if you let it, Thom Yorke’s solo album The Eraser sounds like a proper follow up to Kid A and Amnesiac. Yeah, it’s a solo project, that’s what you get. There are moments, though, like the opening Imogen Heap-like harmonies of “Two-Fifty,” that really get you excited for the next Death Cab album, if this is what Chris is doing on his own. There are some truly good songs on here. Avoiding the solo album/side project pitfall of writing songs that simply are not catchy, or good, we get songs like “The Score,” “Archer V. Light” and my current favourite “Geometry &c,” which, oddly enough, sounds like early Jimmy Eat World as much as it sounds like early Death Cab. I like it, and I guess US Homeland Security was excited enough that they wanted a copy in October.
Check out “Sing Again” and “Geometry &c” before rushing out to buy it, okay?

Chris Walla@HallofJusticeRecording.com | MySpace | Buy Field Manual

 Geometry &c - Chris Walla [3:07m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Sing Again - Chris Walla [2:31m]: Play in Popup | Download

It’s been a while since I’ve been pretty blown away by guitar work. Tyler Ramsey isn’t a guitar god, in the way of crazy pioneer work on the fretboard, but he is succeedingly awesome at creating a weave of music acoustically and making it interesting to listen to. Good example of this is ‘Birdwings’, on his debut album, A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea.

Yeah, I know music is all digital nowadays, but the cover art is purty and worth pointing out. I want to listen to the CD just looking at the cover. If listening to this album will mentally put on the back of the underwater Falkor he’s got going on, I’m in. And so should you, because Falkor is loved by all.

To be honest, I’ve had this album for a little while now, and listened to it in my car, and didn’t catch it, if you know what I mean. Today when I gave it a spin, it made me sit down and really listen, thus the post. Think John Fahey, with a dash of the blues (not musically, but mood).

Anyways, Tyler’s debut album label is Echo Mountain, and the album is being released on January 15, 2008.

P.S. Tyler Ramsey plays guitar for Band of Horses. He’s touring with them, opening the show and then continuing it with the band. Nice, eh? Thanks, Jessica. 

Tyler Ramsey • MySpace • Buy Album

Band of Horses • MySpace • Buy Album

 A Long Dream - Tyler Ramsey [6:01m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Birdwings - Tyler Ramsey: Play in Popup | Download

Eric Lyman, of the West Coastian band Slackstring, has released a solo album called Champagne Air. Gotta tell you, I’m a fan. If anyone out there enjoys listening to some simple Jack Johnson grooves at the beach, this guy is for you. It just emits mad mellow vibes and simple, easy grooves, light lyrics and sing-a-long-able tracks with a voice and guitar thats easy to fall in love with. A good name for this kind of music would be ’stupid-rock’. Not because anyone is stupid, but because you don’t have to think about the music when you listen to it. Its just laidback, great for jamming to at the beach or wherever else.

I’m saying this as I listen to the album for the first time, and to be honest, usually it takes me a couple of times to find the rhythm of the album. Not this one. It’s so easy. Hopefully it won’t get old.

Happy Halloween/Samhain/Whatever everyone!

Eric Lyman // MySpace // Buy Champagne Air

Check out Slackstring, too.

 Champagne Air - Eric Lyman [3:45m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Knock on Wood - Eric Lyman [4:20m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Fastest Machines - Eric Lyman [3:51m]: Play in Popup | Download

So, most folks have probably heard about the new Radiohead release, In Rainbows, simply because the method is so cool. However, some have not, so I will indulge.
Radiohead are not currently signed to a record label. This has not stopped them from making their album available online. This is not new, though certainly not the norm, what’s most interesting about the release of In Rainbows is that you choose how much to pay for the download. Personally, this makes me want to pay more. Really, pay anything instead of getting it for free elsewhere.
For those of you, like me, who still enjoy having some physical evidence of music that you’ve paid for, there is a Discobox package that contains two CDs, two LPs, and a download. There is more music, and having the vinyl is excellent, the drawback to that is that the Discbox costs £40. It is an excellent thing to get to prove you’re a bigger fan than everybody else, if you still visit message boards and such. Also, Chris Hufford, one of the band’s managers, told BBC Radio 4 that, “Ultimately, the band feel that this record, which they are incredibly proud of, deserves to be brought into the mass marketplace.” The CD should be available sometime in 2008.
In the mean time, since the album is available for free, if you want it to be, I don’t wanna be a jerk and post an MP3 from the album. That’s low. What I’ve arranged instead, is an MP3 from the 2006 summer tour, which debuted a lot of the songs that appear on In Rainbows. This song, “Down is the New Up” didn’t make the download, but it is on the second disc of the Discbox. It was one of my favourites of the live bootlegs, judging by what I’ve heard from In Rainbows the studio stuff has been improved and rounded out.
Enjoy!

Radiohead // Buy In Rainbows

 Radiohead - Down is the New Up [live] [5:19m]: Play in Popup | Download