Good Day Sunshine

Admittedly, I liked the first Bloc Party EP far more than I ever liked the album. It was good, but it never rekindled the excitement I had when hearing their earlier material. Now, the remix album is another story entirely -- it's already a critical success, and well-reviewed, so I don't need to get into the details. I will say, however, that this record encapsulates the sound of the last three years very well. To me, it may be something of the end of an era; the dense mixes, the sweeping synths, distorted vocals, and the drums compressed and punched up to the point where they knock your brain out. Where do we go from here? What do the Phones, DFA, and Adam Sparkles have up their sleeves and down their pants to keep things moving?

Bloc Party - This Modern Love (Dave P. And Adam Sparkles Making Time Remix)
Bloc Party - Plans (Mogwai Remix)

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Radiohead. A taste of what they will deliver on the new album? Here we have Dr. Tchock at his balladic best, with the requisite haunting backing vocals floating above the piano -- and the production... fuck. The production:

Radiohead - I Want None Of This

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I drove through Kansas City on the highway coming back from St. Louis a few years ago. We didn't stop. Namelessnumberheadman are from KC, MO, but I obviously didn't run into them. Next time, I'm gonna stop in Kansas City and see what else I can find. These tracks were released in 2003:

Namelessnumberheadman - (At Least) Three Cheers For Cause And Effect
Namelessnumberheadman - Tension Envelopes

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Here is another track from New Zealand's The Shocking Pinks. I haven't picked up their newest album yet, but Dance The Dance Electric (2002:AUS) has been on play at my place constantly for the last few weeks:

The Shocking Pinks - Every

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Walking down Queen Street at a bit past midnight tonight, I passed a busker just as he broke into a rendition of The Beatles' Good Day Sunshine. As he hit the first "good day sunshine" he stopped, said, "fuck this, I'm done," and started packing up. I gave him $1.50. It was perfect.

I miss someone. :)