the reason for radio silence today was due to the fact that during the excitement that is the school run, in which i get my youngest into the institution that will teach him to swear properly, i misjudged a corner and upset the symmetrical lines of my car.

the 2.3 second noise that soundtracked my ineptitude would have been a brilliant sample for early industrial experimentalists, but in reality it meant a shitty day on the phone, in the garage, on the phone some more (understatement of the year), and the loss of a fair chunk-o-cash.

of course, now that the anger dust has settled (anger at myself for being such a dumbass), i am very grateful that neither my all too perfect little passenger, nor anyone else was hurt.

thankfully, i have never been one to have any pride over a car, nor, am i follower of the world of petrol related excitement.

in fact for the last 15 years since i have had to be part of the car owning race, i have held the opinion that cars are mere objects to get from here to there in, and a place to listen to sound music in when the motorway is grid locked.

what makes it all the more annoying is that yesterday was one of the best days blog-wise ever.

my inbox was rattling with exciting news all day.

well sort of.

first up, was the rekids related announcement that you all saw and made a note in your diaries for.

then came the information that the previously mentioned, and loved, rebotini album, music components, is going to get a uk release in feb’09 via those good people over at process records (they released the output records boxset following the demise of the label - so spot the obvious connection there and give yourself a shiny).

but then to cap it all, i received word that cabaret voltaire are back.

the ultimate 80s dark electro duo from sheffield who literally changed my listening habits (and therefore life) with the release of their sensoria 12".

well i say ‘back’.

a little more digging seems to reval that the name is as before, richad h. kirk working in a solo capacity with stephen mallinder in the background going, ‘thats good richard’.

a bit like the bands ambient-techno the conversation era before they split up.

this time though, the cabaret voltaire involvement seems to be all about kirk remixing an album by a new zealand band called kora.

more details on that as and when i hear more.

so as you can see, three chunks of excitement in a mere few hours in front of the computer.

yesterday was a very good day, and i went to sleep in the belief that today i was going to pass on all this news to the fact thirsty ireallylovemusic subscribers.

oh how the lord moves in mysterious ways.

still, you never know, tomorrow i may have even more news on another output records artist, and their workings with a producer known for his time on mo’wax.

output vs mo’wax.

now that’s a story you’re all surely interested in hearing ?

stay tuned, and stay on the right side of the road.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

Judah Tribe reggae band today announced the release of the controversial single “Judgment”. The release was marked by a special concert Saturday night (November 15, 2008) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

The concert attracted a capacity crowd and left hundreds outside in the cold, according to sources. Also on hand for the performance was Nicole Paultre Bell, wife-to-be of Sean Bell, who introduced the song “Judgment” to the audience.

Until November 30th, 2008, Judah Tribe will be offering FREE downloads of Judgment from the band website www.JudahTribe.com/FREE.htm.

The highly anticipated song was written as a tribute to Sean Bell, killed by NYPD officers on his wedding day. The song features lead guitarist of Judah Tribe, father-in-law of Sean Bell, Les Paultre. Les Paultre wowed the crowd with his high energy and heart felt guitar solos.

The release of the single coincides with the 2nd anniversary of the incident. A candle light vigil will be held on Monday November 24th at 11pm on Liverpool street, between 94th & 95th streets, in Jamaica New York. The vigil will be followed by a memorial service at the Praise Tabernacle Church at 6:00am.

Limited pre-release copies of the Judah Tribe album sampler are available from the band website www.JudahTribe.com. The CD contains “Judgment”, the highly political “Sleepwalker”, the love song “Sometimes Love” and other unreleased songs.

About Judah Tribe
With a style reminiscent of the golden era of reggae music, Judah Tribe has honed its unique blend of soul reggae. Judah Tribe has captured the imagination of fans; comparisons to legends such as Bob Marley & The Wailers and Steel Pulse are not uncommon.

The music of Judah Tribe has been heard inside the walls of the United Nations as well as at many prestigious events including; Chase Sounds of The City at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Target 1st Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum, the Boston Music Festival & the CMJ Music Marathon. Judah Tribe has also been featured at the Danny Simmons Corridor Gallery, S.O.Bs and Galapagos in New York City.

Judah Tribe is led by singer/guitarist Josh David. Josh David has toured extensively with Little Jackie, Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest and has played with internationally renown artist Stevie Wonder, Common, Rene Neufville and Joy Denalane.

Together with music director & keyboardist Eric Toussaint, aka The General, Josh David has crafted a unique sound that is stirring lots of conversation. With members stemming from Cameroon, Jamaica, France, Haiti and the United States, Judah Tribe is developing a truly international following.

“Their music takes me back to the days of The Wailers, Jacob Miller and the real reggae giants.” - Renowned reggae artist Ed Robinson

“The music of Judah Tribe is ready for the world.” - Winston Watson of the legendary reggae group The Meditations

Judah Tribe is sponsored by Color Heritage clothing company.

Credits
Brooklyn Academ of Music (BAM) Photos courtesy Rudy Pierre
Band Photo courtesy Mike Dote
Clothing courtesy Color Heritage

For more information, please visit:

Judah Tribe Official Website
MySpace

Barack Obama has the capacity to overcome the recent image of a global bully by restoring America's reputation as a peace-loving, progressive nation. But he faces far greater priorities during his first weeks and months in office as president than say the future of the Voice of America. An entire generation may well be perplexed by just what the VOA means. But the international buzz caused by President-elect Obama earlier in the month offers him an opportunity to revive what had been a valuable American resource for so many years. In short, the reputation of the Voice needs to be revived and treasured -- not squandered as it has been by the Bush Administration the past eight years.

It was the regularly scheduled broadcasts of Willis Conover, the music maestro who spread the love of American jazz around the world. During the worst of times in the Soviet Union I remember Russian musicians taping Conover's daily programs and then transcribing the music to sheet music for jam sessions of their own. There also were often countless days when Soviet Jews and other political dissidents who had heard VOA programming, would thank me for telling their stories to the outside world in my CBS News radio broadcasts from Moscow that were repeated by the Voice of America.

To read all of Fromson's column, go here. For two of the many previous Rifftides postings about the VOA and Conover, go here, here and here. To be repetitive in an area in which repetition is needed, allow me to suggest that if you're a US citizen, you send to your senators and congressman a letter or message something like this one, which I sent nearly two years ago:

I urge you to fight the Bush administration's budget cuts that would result in the Voice of America stopping or reducing English Language news broadcasts. At a time when the US image around the world is soiled, we need continuation of the objective shortwave news programs whose very existence has informed millions about our nation, not to mention helping them learn English so that they might better understand what The United States of America stands for. This proposed budget cut would effectively disable one of the few official cultural exchange vehicles left to us. Please discuss this with your Senate and House colleagues and do all that you can to preserve the VOA.

By Jim Harrington

Usher has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, won five Grammy Awards and starred in a number of Hollywood movies. He’s also a successful business man, a part owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and a star on Broadway.

Now, he can add another impressive line item to this resume: Usher is capable of having a single, and satisfying, “One Night Stand” with some 1,600 women.

He doesn’t do it in the way that ol’ Wilt Chamberlin compiled his gaudy statistics. Instead, the R&B/soul singer is taking a musical route with his “One Night Stand Tour 2008,” which touched down on Tuesday night at the Warfield in San Francisco.

“San Fran, tonight I’m going to take you on a wild ride,” Usher told the crowd. “It may get a little rough, but I hope you can handle it.”

Oh, they could handle it. But, mostly, what they wanted to handle was him _ especially when the star removed his tuxedo top, tore off his undershirt and stood bare-chested in the purple haze of spotlights. In that moment, the screams grew so shrill that dogs as far away as Hunters Point must have been howling.

The high-pitched sound of those screams underscored what’s really the most unique aspect about this intimate theater tour: It’s being sold as for “Ladies Only.” Male Usher fans, apparently, are expected to wait for the star’s next arena tour.

For the most part, fans complied. The 2,250-capacity venue, which was a little less than completely sold-out on Wednesday, was mainly filled with females, although there were some Y chromosomes in the mix. That makes sense: What better way to attract guys than to advertise that there will be hundreds of gals in the house?

Opening the gig with the radio single “Love in this Club,” from this year’s chart-topping release “Here I Stand,” Usher delivered a classy and sassy 100 minutes of music. The concert was brimming with all the things that have made Usher one of today’s top stars: sincerity, personality, professionalism and, most of all, hot dance steps.

What it lacked, however, was truly great tunes. Some of the up-tempo numbers were terrific, but, in general, he relied too heavily on his slow-jam love songs, which collectively came across as trite and repetitive.

That focus was to be expected given the “Ladies Only” occasion. It was also appreciated by the female fans, which were enthusiastic but surprisingly well-behaved throughout the evening. The widely held hypothesis that this show would be tantamount to a 2,000-strong bachelorette party, with panties flying every which way, did not prove true.

Usher, who recently held the role of Billy Flynn in the musical “Chicago,” brought a definite theatrical flair to the concert. Most of that content had to do with wooing the ladies, such as when he brought a woman up from the crowd and hand-fed her chocolate while crooning “Superstar,” or being wooed by the ladies, like when two dancers clad in lingerie came out to drape a Hugh Hefner-style silk bathrobe over his shoulders.

The show drew to a close with a phenomenal version of the mega-hit “Yeah!” and then Usher was off to his next “One Night Stand” (in Los Angeles).

So the crowd didn’t feel used, Usher did mention that his one-nighter in S.F. had been very memorable, and that we weren’t just another notch on his belt. Yet, it’s hard to know if he really meant it. I mean, come on, he didn’t even leave his phone number on his way out.

Photo by Flickr user tixgirl used under Creative Commons license.

On release of their debut album ‘Oracular Spectacular’ I wanted to see if this buzz band lived up to the hype. The crowd was in itself strange for The Barrowlands, a concoction of middle aged men with beards nodding approvingly and young kids eagerly awaiting to hear the tracks they had downloaded as the ringtone for their mobile phones.

MGMT slowly walked on stage and take their stance, big hair and dishevelled attire being the look of the evening. Andrew Vanwyngarden, lead vocalist was the main focal point taking centre stage and having the better stage presence of the 5 piece band. Their music has obvious nostalgic glam and 70’s influences, encompassed with old school guitar solo’s, orchestral feels and thumping baselines. The band ended every song with a psychedelic instrumental, multi-layered guitars and fuzzy synth sounds almost as if in a jamming session, a bit more rock inspired which I appreciated but wasn’t sure if the kids quite got it, there were a few bewildered faces.

The set included the funky ‘Electric Feel’ capturing the crowd with it’s euphoric chorus, ‘Time to Pretend’, ‘Kids’, ‘The Handshake’ and the more delicate ‘The Youth’. A very unpredictable and uplifting live show, extremely eclectic and completely not what I was expecting, MGMT definitely live up to the hype that I was apprehensive about.

- Fiona

Soprano Celia Lu's ethereal vocals and the harpsichord work of Dietrich Eichmann stand out among the ensemble. Evoked are both the calm before the storms and then storms themselves; using Germany as a metaphor and as proof, the decadence of the early 1930's and the horrors of the 40s are of a piece. Allusions to a coming visceral appearance of evil in the present is represented by violent video games and porn. The dread, the gothic menace of the tracks, especially "Make It Sinister," "a vain committing (antiwar.com)"-which is a section of a longer piece titled "Spoilt Brat Sacrifice" and "Mouse Girl Stoned," dig for evil and the choices that lead to it in both the personal and political. They don't need to dig deep to find, but they do. This is a two disc set that is as moral as it is shocking, beautiful as it creepy. "Demons!" reminds us of choices, and of what results when those choices are made in fear.

Leonard Cohen review, O2 Arena, London - 14 November 2008

Have you ever seen Annie Hall? If yes, then you’ll recall the scene where Alvy dates a music journalist played by Shelley Duvall and they emerge from a Stones concert, Duvall’s character rhapsodising about how the gig was ‘transplendent’. Well before you go any further, I should confess: that was me, after witnessing the legend that is Leonard Cohen in London.

After a hellish journey from Oxford to London and then to North Greenwich, we found ourselves slightly late, hungry and cranky. Now anyone who knows me will testify to my horrendous hunger grumps. So it’s no mean feat that three hours later, I was in seventh heaven. Like Leonard advised, we forgot the past and were transported to another place by a performance which is best described as sublime.

Dressed in a pin-striped suit and rakishly tilted fedora, Cohen looked ice cool. He and his band gave the appearance of a thirties era group of gangsters, their iconic appearance matched in panache by a set in which it was clear Cohen meant every word of his poetic and mystical lyrics. A magnificent “Hallelujah” was a case in point.

The laughter lines around his eyes may have belied his 73 years, but the way he skipped on and offstage, teasing us with yet another encore, hinted that he took a youthful glee in the pleasure he generated in the adoring crowd. Cohen acknowledged his absence from the touring circuit with his usual charm and a humorous eloquence: ‘It’s been a long time’, he admitted, following this with a wry, ‘fifteen years, I was just a kid with a crazy dream’.

This self-awareness and gentle humour inflected Cohen’s every gesture with a disarming humility and grace, which was evident in the generous relationship he shared with his band. Collaborator and singer in her own right Sharon Robertson was given solo duties on “Anthem”, showcasing a seemingly effortless and creamy, fulsome voice. Cohen also afforded backing vocalists The Webb Sisters a spot, with Hattie on harp adding an angelic quality to harmonies evocative of Alison Krauss or the Carter Family. Cohen stood back in the shadows for their stints, literally taking his hat off to them and holding it to his heart in a respectful and gentlemanly manner which indicated he was as beguiled by their performances as the rest of us.

Cohen’s entire band were nothing short of flawless, and in the cavernous and corporate space that is the O2 the entire audience were drawn like magnets to the stage, spellbound by a set both flawless and utterly soulful - we could have been in an intimate and cosy jazz bar, such was the way Cohen held us in the palm of his hands. He’s a legend without even trying: dapper and iconic, his words and his philosophy get right to the heart of the human condition.

Given his advanced years and godfather like status in the annals of music, never more have lines such as ‘I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice’ and ‘I ache in the places I used to play’ seemed more pertinent and moving. It was an inescapable fact that we were in the presence of a true legend on Friday night and there was thankfully no sense of it being underwhelming, as so often the case with such feted figures - I feel genuinely honoured to have witnessed the man himself. Cohen proved an inspiring and elegant presence whose lyrics are an honest and, I would argue, necessary soundtrack to the revolutions of life in all it’s permutations. As he recited some of his poetry, I reflected that his words give no trite answers, but great comfort and hope.

I’ve never understood why people find the work of this wonderful man depressing; I see hope more than anything else in lyrics like ‘There is a crack, a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in’. A rousing rendition of “Democracy” in the encore sums this up - both timely in the wake of the American Democrats victory as well as impassioned, it stirred the whole audience up irrespective of nationality. The beauty of Cohen’s songs are that they implore us to strive beyond the mundane towards a spiritual otherness much, much greater than the physical, whilst still embodying a deeply sensual quality. Seeing him live really encapsulated this power- as I looked around my companions I saw the same rapt expression in their eyes accompanied with a irresistible urge to sway and move in time with the movement of the music, mouthing the words to classics like “So Long Marianne” and “The Tower of Song” as if motivated by a deep collective unconscious.

Cohen’s performance was both gracious and professional; his deliciously rumbly voice has acquired an even greater patina of wisdom as he’s aged which made some tracks seem like sermons from a great sage. Highlights for me were the elegiac and tragical “The Partisan”, “In My Secret Life” and of course, “Hallelujah”, which moved me to tears - I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

A septuagenarian who still has the capacity to totally seduce both men and women with his song, he is truly a very special individual whom I still keep pinching myself to believe I’ve seen! What most impressed itself on me was how at peace with himself Cohen seemed; he joked that he’d explored the philosophy of religions and tried ‘prozac, effexor … ‘ and all number of medications, but found that ‘cheerfulness kept breaking through’!

He may have been talked into doing this tour, but he genuinely seemed to be enjoying it and in the unlikely event that any remaining dates are not already sold out, I would urge you to get along to a gig, whatever it takes (yes, even if that means leaving the country - he’s that good). Seeing Leonard Cohen was a life-defining experience and I don’t care how much hyperbole I’ve employed in this review - I will never forget the three hours of magic he gave to me.

Transplendent, just transplendent.

Leonard Cohen on amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

Leonard Cohen Official Website

By: Lindsey Davis