SPAZ's ROCKING STOCKING STUFFERS #3

ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL (DVD)

All the positive word of mouth you've been hearing and the critical raves that have shown up in print over the last year are true: this really IS a one-of-a-kind documentary that ANY and EVERY music fan should see! It doesn't matter whether you have heard of Anvil or not... and it doesn't matter if you love or hate Heavy Metal: this is a must-see film!

It seems to combine elements of two very different music-related films that I enjoy: This Is Spinal Tap and The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip. 

Of course, comparisons to This Is Spinal Tap are first and foremost on people's minds, but this is NOT a mockumentary. The Story Of Anvil is about a real band, real people and real situations.  Sometimes, they are funny and sometimes heartbreaking.

I compare it to The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (a documentary on L.A. trendsetter Rodney Bingenheimer) because it has the same type of sadness to it. You keep rooting for the band, but life seems to throw them a bunch of curve balls. You become so involved with the band members (basically guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner) that you can't help but FEEL for them. Their disappointments become your disappointments: their triumphs become your triumphs. Throught it all, Anvil don't quit when things go sour: they keep going.... and going.... and going...

While the film isn't a career documentary, it does feature classic footage and music.  The core of the film centers around Lips and Robb's determination to keep Anvil alive and rocking long after the general public has forgotten them. It's not an easy thing to do for a Canadian Metal band who achieved great things in the early '80s before being left for dead as that decade came to a close. Lips and Robb are aching to give it one more shot, and they take that 'one more shot' a few times over the course of the film. From a bungled tour to a recording session that nearly tears them apart, The Story Of Anvil is an uplifting and (dare I say it?) heartwarming film.

It's not just about the music: it's also about friendship, trust, belief and determination. The Story Of Anvil is about life, the human spirit and second chances... and third chances.... and 40th chances. It's funny, it's sad and it's everything in between.

I don't know anyone who has seen this that isn't tempted to hit play and relive it all over again. 

In the end, the success of this film gave Anvil the big break that they were constantly searching for and working so hard for. And that's a good thing.

Don't wait. Go out and buy it now!  This one is a keeper, not a renter!

Watch the trailer HERE!

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

SNOOP DOGG/Malice N Wonderland: Available 12/8/2009!

Rap icon and multi-media superstar Snoop Dogg returns to the Priority label with his 10th solo studio album Malice N Wonderland. Malice marks his first album of all new material since 2008’s experimental Ego Trippin and finds Snoop back at the very top of his game, doing what he does best!

As a true global superstar with over 30 million albums sold worldwide and countless awards in his 17 year-plus music career, Snoop has amassed a legion of diehard fans and Malice promises to appeal to all of them. The distinctive Snoop Dogg vocal style is as crisp as ever and he is joined on Malice by a virtual who’s who of today’s top producers and artists.

The album kicks off with the first single “Gangsta Luv produced by and featuring R&B crooner The-Dream. 'Gangsta Luv' is already racing up the charts at Urban and Rhythm radio and is now crossing to the Pop charts. Other key album tracks include the Dr Dre mixed “I Wanna Rock”, 'Pronto' featuring Soulja Boy, 'Pimpin Aint EZ' featuring R. Kelly, 'Different Languages' featuring Jazmine Sullivan and 'Special' featuring Brandy and Pharell.

A host of top name producers also contribute including the aforementioned The-Dream, longtime mentor and collaborator Dr Dre, Pharell, Danja, and R.Kelly to name a few . The result is Snoop’s best album In years and one that promises to return him to the pinnacle and send his massive fan base in-stores and online.

Watch the "Gangsta Luv" video HERE!

SPAZ's ROCKING STOCKING STUFFERS #2

FREUR/Get Us Out Of Here & Doot-Doot (2 on 1)

From All Music Guide:

"While Karl Hyde and Rick Smith may have finally achieved success as dancefloor favorites Underworld in the nineties and noughties, they are surprisingly quiet about their ‘80s musical outlet, Freur. While their silence speaks volumes about how they feel about their past, Freur’s fan base has remained loyal and passionate.

The band didn’t achieve the fame they deserved, but they were one of the most unique and memorable bands of the era. Using electronics as a starting point, Freur cleverly mixed guitars, piano, percussion and other instruments into their melting pot, creating an atmospheric and experimental sound that was just as organic as it was processed. Never over baked, the quintet’s songs were layered with melodies that walked the tightrope between haunting and beautiful. While they are best remembered for the track “Doot Doot” (and using a squiggle for their name), the band had so much more to offer and this release containing both of their albums is proof that they made a delicious pudding.

Their 1983 debut album, Doot Doot, opens with the title track, a wonderfully gentle slice of ear candy that is not easily forgotten once you’ve let it sink under your skin. There is really nothing like it. Not quite a ballad, it is soothing without being maudlin, dark without being gothic and romantic without being sappy. The rest of the album strays from the title track’s musical formula, but they are all equally intriguing and melodic. “Tender Surrender” and “Whispering” have beautiful melodic choruses that will send chills up your spine. The singles “Runaway”, “Matters Of The Heart” and “Riders In The Night” are odd slices of pure twisted pop that should have been hits. The album reveals its secrets listen after listen and never overstays its welcome.

The real attraction on this two-fer is the first CD appearance of the seldom-heard sophomore album, Get Us Out Of Here, originally released in 1985. This second album picks up where Doot Doot left off, but then takes the music in a slightly harder direction. There’s nothing quite as unique as “Doot Doot”, but the band expands on their sound, adding echoes of soul, Celtic and rock music into the mix. Anyone looking for a carbon copy of their debut will be disappointed, but those wanting to hear the band expand on their sound will have plenty to love. The melodies aren’t quite as pretty, but they are certainly hook-filled and playful. “Look In The Back For Answers”, ‘The Devil And The Darkness”, “Emeralds & Pearls” and “The Piano Song” are a few of the real highlights.

Though this was the final Freur album, the sound of Get Us Out Of Here hints at the direction the band would take when they re-merged a few years later as Underworld, releasing the album Underneath The Radar. "- Stephen SPAZ Schnee

GOLDFRAPP to return in March 2010 with HEAD FIRST!

Genre-smashing musical pioneers Goldfrapp announce their brand new album Head First to be released through Mute on March 23rd, 2010. This will be preceded by the new single ‘Rocket’ on March 9th, 2010.

Head First is Goldfrapp's most powerful trip to date, a speedy rush of synth optimism, euphoria, fantasy and romance. With life affirming lyrics and stellar production it lifts off at full tilt and takes us on a journey to the heart of 2010.

The duo’s fifth album, Head First is written and produced by band mates Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory and was recorded throughout 2009 in Bath and in London.

Fizzy with inspiration, the brand new single ‘Rocket’ is a goose-bump brilliant tune destined to float out of radios across the land.

The diversity, ambition and direction of the new album highlights Goldfrapp as true agenda-setters and modern British musical icons. Head First follows the critically acclaimed Seventh Tree, which saw the NME describe Goldfrapp as ‘having done the seemingly impossible and become even more fantasy fabulous’ and as ‘sublime, anthemic pop’ by The Independent. Head First is the latest in a brilliantly consistent body of work - from the captivating electronic balladry of Mercury nominated debut Felt Mountain and its distorted-dancefloor follow-up, Black Cherry to the glitterball glamour of Supernature which came out in summer 2005 and went on to sell more than a million copies worldwide.

Goldfrapp will take Head First on tour later in 2010 - following the massive acclamation for both the Supernature and Seventh Tree tours and festival appearances around the world, Goldfrapp have underlined their reputation as one of the most transcendent and inventive live bands around.

SPAZ's ROCKING STOCKING STUFFERS #1

GARY MYRICK & THE FIGURES/Gary Myrick & The Figures (+ bonus tracks)

From All Music Guide:

"During the Punk, Power Pop and New Wave heyday of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Los Angeles gave birth to some of the finest bands of all three genres. From X, The Germs, The Dickies and Social Distortion to The Knack, The Plimsouls, 20/20, The Go-Go’s and The Last, there were so many exciting bands treading the boards in Southern California. But of all the acts that emerged during this time, there were two unique outfits that used the energy of the scene but took the music in a different direction: Jules & The Polar Bears and Gary Myrick & The Figures. Both Jules Shear and Gary Myrick were immensely talented songwriters, but neither of them chose to stick to the “simple, short and sweet” formula that their contemporaries had been so successful with. Of the two, Myrick seemed the most likely to achieve commercial success.

The Texas-born guitarist formed The Figures in the midst of the Power Pop/New Wave explosion, inking a record deal and releasing their debut album in 1980. Their self-titled debut album was an amazing slice of audio energy and excitement that still sounds fresh and invigorating nearly 30 years later. With Myrick’s skillful guitar playing (he NEVER overplays), top notch songwriting skills and the band’s tight dynamic, this was one heck of musical statement.

While the album was one of the most impressive debut albums of the ‘80s, Myrick and co-horts crafted a slice of wax that was unique and, ultimately, hard to categorize. Was it Power Pop? Well, it certainly IS melodic but not sweet and sugary. Is it New Wave? Well, it certainly IS unique but not quirky or bathed in neon colors. Gary Myrick & The Figures was an album that stood virtually alone in a sea of records that were released during this era. There were shades of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues, Post-Punk, Power Pop, Punk and New Wave but not enough of each genre to easily classify the album.

“She Talks In Stereo” was a big radio hit and should have been the track that pushed the band to the top of the charts, but it wasn’t meant to be, I suppose. Other highlights off the album include the lead track “Living Disaster”, “Ever Since The World Began”, “Meaningless” and the epic “She’s So Teenage”. Not a bad song in the bunch. The only real disappointment is the fact that the album didn’t do better than it should have!

The excellent Wounded Bird CD reissue adds nine live tracks that prove that the band’s sound was not manufactured in the studio. Normally, I avoid live recordings at all costs, but even I’ll admit these are essential cuts from an exciting era in music history."-Stephen SPAZ Schnee

GARY MYRICK & THE FIGURES/Living In A Movie (+ bonus tracks)

From All Music Guide:

"Their 1981 sophomore album, Living In A Movie, is a different ball of wax. Where their debut was drenched in adrenalin and sweat, Living In A Movie sounds like it’s bathed in darkness and paranoia. It’s not so much a case of the ‘sophomore jinx’ as it is the sound of a band whose bubble has been burst and they’ve been left alone to make sense of everything. While not the equal of the debut, this second album has plenty going for it. .

From the lead track, “I’m Not A Number” (another radio hit for Myrick), Living In A Movie twists and turns in directions previously only hinted at on their debut album. While still unclassifiable, the album veers closer to a jagged Post-Punk edge as it moves away from the hooky tunes of the previous year. The energy is still evident, but the album is bathed in more shadows than light.

Highlights include “Romance”, “Penetrate My Heart’ and “No Crisis”, which is about the only track that comes close to sounding like the first record, but perhaps that’s not a bad thing? If Myrick and the boys had made a carbon copy of the debut, then the results would have probably sounded forced and fake.

On it’s own, Living In A Movie is a fantastic off-center musical trip that never gets dull. Compared to the debut, it’s a less frantic ride but still reaches the same destination. The Wounded Bird reissue adds four bonus live tracks previously only available on a promo 12” single. Of those four tracks, “Fame Is Dangerous” is unavailable elsewhere."-Stephen SPAZ Schnee

BOTH TITLES AVAILABLE NOW!

SILKY SOUL MUSIC, the brand new tribute album to Frankie Beverly and MAZE!

SILKY SOUL MUSIC: An All-Star Tribute to Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

Available NOW!

Silky Soul Music is the brainchild of Frankie Beverly's son, Anthony, who is serving as the project's executive and co producer. Beverly developed the idea to properly honor his father's contributions to the music industry in a way that has never been done before. It is the first and only album recognizing Beverly and Maze's nearly 40-year career including 12 albums and 30 hit singles. The 10 songs selected for the CD represent some of Maze and Frankie Beverly's greatest hits. Featured are a host of Grammy Award winning and nominated gold and platinum-selling artists in R&B and Gospel, including Joe, Avant, Mary J. Blige, Mint Condition, Raheem DeVaughn, and the Clark Sisters.
Here's just a taster of what you'll find on Silky Soul Music!

BIRDS OF TOKYO/Universes: The 2nd Album AVAILABLE NOW!

BIRDS OF TOKYO/Universes

Available NOW!

So, are you looking for a little meat with your potatoes?  Perhaps some dessert as well?

Birds Of Tokyo offer up a full, tasty and robust meal for your ears (and soul) with Universes, their sophomore album. If you want modern Rock that is not only commercially pleasing but filled with substance, style and class, then Birds Of Tokyo are bound to fill you with joy!  They really should have called this album "Every Song An Anthem", because you'll be pumping your fists in the air and singing along in no time!  Hail the Birds Of Tokyo!  While the album may not be 'new', it certainly may be new to some of you who missed it first time around!

If you're thinking about heading out to a local independent record store to pick this up, then you might be able to find this fab CD at one of the stores listed here: http://www.cimsmusic.com/