DOLORES O'RIORDAN

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath for THE CRANBERRIES frontwoman DOLORES O'RIORDAN to release a solo album, your wait is nearly over.

ARE YOU LISTENING? will be released in the U.S. on May 15 on SANCTUARY/SEQUEL. You can pre-order it [HERE].

What does the record sound like? Well... um... sort of EXACTLY like THE CRANBERRIES, actually. Which should come as no surprise, if you think about it. Despite some fairly solid melodies, that band was always dominated by O'Riordan's keening, yodeling, often-pretty/often-exasperating soprano. SINEAD O'CONNOR-lite, one might say -- but without the Pope issues and with only one or two shades of color as palette.

Except for the somewhat BJORK-like "Black Widow," the songs on ARE YOU LISTENING? could have appeared on any previous CRANBERRIES album. Even the layered, by-the-numbers vocal overdubs remain stubbornly in place.

Bottom line: This is no artistic reinvention for Ms. O'Riordan. But maybe she wanted it that way. Her former band, after all, sold tens of millions of records. Still, something tells me that Bjork and Sinead will be remembered for a much longer time, and far more fondly.

DOLORES O'RIORDAN on MySPACE.

DOLORES O'RIORDAN's future touring >>>

May 29 2007 8:00P/Razzmatazz/Barcelona
May 31 2007 8:00P/Alcatraz/Milan
Jun 1 2007 8:00P/Kaufleuten/Zurich
Jun 3 2007 8:00P/Paradiso/Amsterdam
Jun 5 2007 8:00P/Ancienne Belgique/Brussels
Jun 6 2007 8:00P/Bataclan/Paris
Jun 9 2007 8:00P/Columbia Club/Berlin
Jun 10 2007 8:00P/Berns/Stockholm

[MP3] "Ordinary Day"

[MP3] "Black Widow"

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS

Like most of the music blogosphere, I'd been aware that TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS had a new CD coming out, yet I still managed to be an oblivious bunny when it finally dropped on March 20.

Today, then, was spent playing a bit of catch-up with said CD -- LIVING WITH THE LIVING -- and bestowing "Best Tracks" status on the two tunes below. Disagree with me if you must....
TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS on MySPACE.

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS here, there & everywhere >>>

Mar 28 2007 8:00P/Theatre of Living Arts/Philadelphia
Mar 29 2007 8:00P/930 Club/Washington
Mar 30 2007 8:00P/Cats Cradle/Carrboro
Mar 31 2007 8:00P/Variety Playhouse/Atlanta
Apr 1 2007 8:00P/The Social/Orlando
Apr 2 2007 8:00P/Studio A/Miami
Apr 4 2007 8:00P/Chelsea's Cafe/Baton Rouge
Apr 5 2007 8:00P/Numbers/Houston
Apr 6 2007 9:00P/Granada Theatre/Dallas

[MP3] "Who Do You Love?" [REMOVED]

[MP3] "C.I.A." [REMOVED]

BRANDI CARLILE

Singer-songwriter BRANDI CARLILE, at all of about 25 years old, possesses one of THOSE VOICES that just plain jumps out of the speakers and earbuds. Maybe there's some K.D. LANG in there. MELISSA ETHERIDGE? LINDA RONSTADT? LINDA PERRY? Hell, I've even heard her compared to JEFF BUCKLEY.

Whatever the case, this Washington State native will release her second LP, THE STORY, on April 3. Once again, her particular brand of folk-pop straddles the line between graceful and growling, and she knows her way around a lyric as well.

So... a pretty impressive package, all in all. But it's the voice that'll hit you first. And it might just leave a dent.

BRANDI CARLILE on MySPACE.

BRANDI CARLILE on the road >>>

Mar 30 2007 6:00P/Triple Door/Seattle, Washington
Mar 30 2007 10:00P/Triple Door/Seattle, Washington
Mar 31 2007 7:00P/Mississippi Studios/Portland, Oregon
Mar 31 2007 10:00P/Mississippi Studios/Portland, Oregon
Apr 2 2007 7:30P/Great American Music Hall/San Francisco, California
Apr 3 2007 8:00P/Troubadour/West Hollywood, California
Apr 4 2007 10:30P/Tonight Show with Jay Leno/Los Angeles, California
Apr 6 2007 8:30P/The Casbah/San Diego, California

From the LP THE STORY, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "My Song"
[MP3] "Downpour"

From her self-titled LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Fall Apart Again"
[MP3] [VID] "What Can I Say"

PAPAS FRITAS

"PAPAS FRITAS was formed in 1992 with the simple mission of creating catchy, honest pop music that creates a feeling of euphoria in humans."

So goes the opening line from this Massachusetts band's bio page. It's been a good three or four years since they've released anything, so I have no idea if they're still a going concern or not. But I was in the mood for some boy/girl vocal interplay today, and these folks fit that bill.

You want fries with that? Damn straight.

PAPAS FRITAS on MySPACE.

From the LP BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "I Believe in Fate"
[MP3] "Another Day"

From the LP HELIOSELF, 1997 >>>
[MP3] "We've Got All Night"
[MP3] "Sing About Me"

From their self-titled LP, 1995 >>>
[MP3] "Afterall"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Let's Go Down to the Town Oasis"

CALLA

When I wrote about CALLA back in August of 2005, I said the following:

"Calla is a New York City-by-way-of-Texas trio that specializes in dark, cinematic soundscapes. In truth, though, they gradually seem to be shifting toward more traditional songwriting - verse/chorus/verse, etc. But, thankfully, their dark edges remain evident and decadent, so I don't think there's much danger of these guys ever going full-on, shiny-happy 'pop.''"

With the February release of their latest album, STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, I'd say that I was right about that last point. If anything, the tracks here may be something of a return their deep, dark cinematic past. I'm not complaining...

CALLA on MySPACE.

CALLA on the Left Coast >>>

Mar 27 2007 8:00P/Spaceland/Los Angeles, California
Mar 28 2007 8:00P/Rickshaw Stop San Francisco, California
Mar 29 2007 8:00P/Pop Scene/San Francisco, California
Mar 31 2007 8:00P/Doug Fir Lounge/Portland, Oregon
Apr 1 2007 8:00P/Crocodile Café/Seattle, Washington
Apr 2 2007 8:00P/Media Club/Vancouver, British Columbia

From the LP STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Rise"
[MP3] "Bronson"

From the LP COLLISIONS, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "It Dawned on Me"

From the LP SCAVENGERS, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Fear of Fireflies"

LET'S GO SAILING

Be forewarned: This post will be just DRIPPING with name-dropping and starfucking. I'm just telling you right now....

LET'S GO SAILING is essentially the SHANA LEVY Show. She's already made something of a name for herself playing keyboards for RILO KILEY, IRVING, LISA GERMANO, OF MONTREAL, DEERHOOF, OH NO! OH MY!, and others. On April 27, though, Ms. Levy will stake a claim for her own spotlight with the release of her debut solo effort -- the LP CHAOS IN ORDER.

Of course, it's not ENTIRELY a solo effort; she has received musical assistance from members of SILVERSUN PICKUPS, IRVING, and the currently much-buzzed-about ELVIS PERKINS. She also has made quick fans of the likes of COURTNEY LOVE (who jumped on stage to perform with her) and THE FLAMING LIPS (who play her music over the PA before their shows). Finally, she's cultivating word-of-mouth through TV tie-ins -- with songs appearing on THE REAL WORLD: PHILADELPHIA, ONE TREE HILL, and (tomorrow) GREY'S ANATOMY.

Levy is quite up-front about the immense influence ELLIOTT SMITH has had on her music. And you can hear it -- in her beautifully forlorn lyrics and voice. But CHAOS IN ORDER is no soundtrack to a suicide; more like the bittersweet backing to all things nostalgic -- lost innocence, love, hope, etc. But also an overriding faith in positive change -- new discoveries, new opportunities, new beginnings.

In this way, it really doesn't matter if LET'S GO SAILING's songs are built on jangly guitar ("Heart Condition:) or a bed of piano and strings ("Sideways"). Through it all, Shana Levy's music serves to simultaneously sadden and comfort us -- as many of our best, most meaningful memories tend to do.

LET'S GO SAILING on MySPACE.

LET'S GO SAILING tacking this way 'n' that >>>

Mar 22 2007 11:00A/KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic/89.9 FM/California
Mar 23 2007 8:30P/Echo/ALL AGES/Los Angeles, California
Mar 24 2007 9:30P/Largo/Los Angeles
Mar 25 2007 8:00P/Cafe Du Nord/San Francisco, California
Mar 26 2007 7:00P/The Attic/Santa Cruz
Mar 29 2007 8:00P/Doug Fir Lounge/Portland, Oregon
Mar 30 2007 8:00P/The Tractor Tavern/Seattle, Washington
Apr 3 2007 8:00P/Soiled Dove/Denver, Colorado
Apr 4 2007 8:00P/Sokol Underground/Omaha, Nebraska

[MP3] "Heart Condition"

[MP3] "Sideways"

THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE

After performing at SXSW over the weekend, brothers TOM and ALEX WHITE of THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE will be playing in L.A. tonight before jetting back home for more shows in the UK.

All of this is in preparation for the April 24 release of their new LP, NO NEED TO BE DOWNHEARTED, on BETTER LOOKING RECORDS. Seems the chameleonic lads (who also make up one-half of BRAKES) are pushing their sound in the direction of "futuristic psychedelia" this time around. Cue the groovy robots....

THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE on MySPACE.

THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE, pan-American-style >>>

Mar 21 2007 8:00/Spaceland (w/Goldrush)/Los Angeles, CA
Mar 28 2007 8:00/Shepherd's Bush/Empire London, UK
Mar 29 2007 8:00/The Fly/London, UK
Apr 18 2007 8:00/The Sugarmill/Stoke, UK
Apr 19 2007 8:00/Stonelove @ Digital/Newcastle, UK
Apr 20 2007 8:00/The Westport Bar/Dundee, UK
Apr 21 2007 8:00/The Lemon Tree/Aberdeen, UK
Apr 23 2007 8:00/Oran Mor Glasgow, UK

From the LP NO NEED TO BE DOWNHEARTED, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Life in the Backseat"
[MP3] "Misunderstanding"

From the EP THE HUMAN BODY, 2005 >>>

[MP3] "Cold World"

From the LP HOLES IN THE WALL, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "There's a Silence"