Concettina Died and Other Stories of the East Side
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Some New Music, posted September 26, 2007 at 12:52 AM

SOMD.gif1. It's less than one week before the new Annie Lennox. And there's not a single leak of this thing ANYWHERE ON THE WORLDWIDE WEB?! I have consulted my best sources, all for naught. Dear Arista: I was gonna buy it anyway. Now, when it comes out, I'm gonna steal it. Jerks. So much for building up to the release. In the meantime, the lead single, Dark Road, is amazing. I first heard it weeks ago and thought it was great, but that it maybe wasn't going to dominate the album as I hoped it would. All that changed when I saw the video. She dresses as freakin' Wonder Woman for heaven's sake! What more do you want? How about a bridge that goes, "Hey yay yeah yeah yea. Hey Hey Hey." I know, she always says what us mere mortals feel inside but don't have words for. Also, she's touring. The bad news: I'm in Italy when she plays California, so Patsy & I can't go together!! The good news, I'm back when she plays NYC. Patsy, buy a plan ticket, lady.

UTBL.gif2. The new Rilo Kiley is great. Better than I expected it to be, and I had me some high hopes. I think their other hard-core fans are despairing over the lack of indie-rock cred that comes with playing late-Stones-esque disco numbers, but me? I love disco era Stones. Emotional Rescue is my favorite Stones record (so sue me). Breakin' Up is Jenny Lewis a la deBarge, and I couldn't be happier about it. And Smoke Detector gave me a new song for that long-awaited Best Beatles Songs Blondie Never Recorded compilation. But for all the dance beats, the Fleetwood Mac rhythms on Dreamworld, the missing live drums of Give a Little Love, this album is certainly heavy on lyrics. Jenny's getting dirtier as she gets older. Thank god. I mean, "I took a man back to my room, I was smokin' him in bed, yeah I was smokin' in bed, this is what he said." Go, girl. This CD ups the ante for what's expected from our indie-rock leading ladies. Jenny, we always knew you were Patsy Cline with a bit of Krazee Kim Deal and Patti Smith thrown in, but we're thrilled that you're also Pat Benatar, Cher, Heart's Wilsons, and every unnamed disco diva who still belts 'em out every Friday night in the gay clubs of the world. Speaking of Cher, how is it that every review I read mentions Blondie, but not Cher. Hello, Close Call = Gypsies Tramps & Thieves!

LIA.gif3. I accidentally heard a live show in a tiny room in Brooklyn. Matty Charles got up, made nice with the tiny audience (the room was packed), and then played the best singer-songwriter shit I'd heard since, well, since that very afternoon which I spent listening to M. Ward and Jim Croce. I've been VERY into Jim Croce lately. Lovers Cross is just insanely beautiful, don't you think? But I digress: Matty Charles is very very good. It was such an intimate performance. His voice smooth and gravelly, world-weary and optimistic, darkly deep and bright, all at the same time. Check him out Sunday nights at Pete's Candy Store, or hear some samples on his site. I bought a CD from him and have been listening to a song called Lover In Arms over and over. It's great.


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