Free Album Download: Phoenix – Live in Sydney

Do you you like free music? Do you like French rockers Phoenix? If you answered yes to either, then today is your lucky day. Thomas Mars & co. have made a recent live recording, Live in Sydney, available for a free download. The eight-song offering spans 38 minutes and features songs solely…

She & Him – Volume Two

M. Ward truly has found his muse in Deschanel. The actor really can sing, and it is her vocals that carry the album. The marriage of M. Ward’s slick, befitting production and Deschanel’s light, cherubic vocals takes listeners of Volume Two to a simpler time, when AM radio was king…

She & Him: Volume 2

Artist: She & HimTitle: Volume 2Release date: March 23Label: MergeMy editor has claimed this project a triumph for no other reason than I’ve chosen the new over the old — sort of. See, I told Martin Cizmar a while back that I wanted to review tonight’s Ray Davies concert. I…

The Blaze 1330’s Guest DJ Week: Who’s Spinning and When

Arizona State’s student radio station is always a fun throwback to the glory days of college radio, and perhaps the best showcase of that spirit is the annual Guest DJ Week.The long-running tradition — which I participated in last year — started yesterday with restaurateur Chris Bianco and local musician…

Broken Bells: Broken Bells

Artist: Broken BellsTitle: Broken BellsRelease date: March 9Label: ColumbiaIf you’re a supergroup and you don’t go for broke from the outset, you’ve lost me. That’s kind of the way I feel about this debut record by Broken Bells, the new collaboration by Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley and James Mercer…

Album Stream: MGMT – Congratulations

The band had this to offer about the leak:”Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn’t make sense to anyone but us.”A free download is a pretty noble idea…

Crowdsourced: Whiskey Six, Fat Tree and More

It’s not always easy to keep track of your favorite local artists, especially when some are busy touring around the country. So, here’s a round-up of the goings-on of some of the Valley’s top musical acts, including The Maine, Fat Tree and Whiskey Six.Rock Along Productions sponsored an epic Battle…

Green Day Announces Summer Tour, Phoenix Date in August

[jump] August 3 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center On Sale 4/3 5 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center On Sale 4/17 9 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre On Sale 3/27 11 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live On Sale 4/9 12 Hartford, CT Comcast Theater On Sale 4/2 14 Holmdel,…

Nothing Not New: The Podcast

I’ve promised my loyal readers a podcast featuring some of the best songs I’ve been listening to in the first three months of 2010.That day is finally here. The podcast is below. You’ll hear 10 songs and a little bit of discussion about each of them. This is my best…

Locksley: Be In Love

Artist: LocksleyTitle: Be In LoveRelease date: March 16Label: SKH MusicReaders of my daily column, Nothing Not New, might find this essay from The Onion A.V. Club to be interesting. Basically, it asks the question: Are the indie bands of the world releasing too much product? The essay opens by stating…

Z-Trip Breaks Collar Bone Snowboarding, Will He Play Coachella?

Arizona-bred DJ Hero Z-Trip broke his clavicle snowboarding last week and has canceled all his shows leading up to Coachella.The Tripster also dropped out of the upcoming A-Team movie soundtrack. The DJ, raised here but now based Los Angeles (apparently this is something The Arizona Republic doesn’t know yet) had…

Jim Gaffigan Coming To Dodge Theatre, Tickets On Sale Today

Stand-up comedian Jim “Hot Pockets” Gaffigan isn’t coming to Dodge Theatre until November 27, but tickets go on sale this morning at 10 a.m.Gaffigan’s 2006 Comedy Central Special Beyond the Pale is certified Platinum, and his memorable stints on “My Boys” and “Law & Order: SVU,” have raised his profile…

Hemoptysis, Zooey Deschanel, and Greeley Estates in This Week’s Issue

This week’s music feature is about Masaki Murashita, the 24-year old lead singer and guitarist of local neo-thrashers Hemoptysis, a band that is rocking SXSW as we speak.Also in this week’s issue you’ll find pieces on Zooey Deschanel’s musical career, and the local post-hardcore band Greeley Estates’ new album, which…

Big Star’s Alex Chilton Dies at 59

Alex Chilton, singer and guitarist of ’70s rock band Big Star died last night in New Orleans at age 59. The cause of death is suspected to be a heart attack, and Big Star was set to play at this year’s SXSW.The band is cemented in history as a highly…

Crowdsourced: Flogging Molly at Tempe Beach Park

OK, OK, so they may be from Los Angeles, but the Celtic punk rock band Flogging Molly is one of the best bands around to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with. Not only do they play fun, fast, furious tunes, they also know how to party. According to one fan, the…

jj: jj no. 3

Artist: jjTitle: jj no. 3Release date: March 9Label: Secretly CanadianIf you’ve ever found yourself up late at night and unable to sleep, you’ve probably resorted to flipping channels. Of course, you never find anything worth watching at 2:30 a.m., but sometimes those damn infomercials will find a way to hook…

Greeley Estates Cuts Out the Pop Vocals for New Record

Phoenix-based Greeley Estates have long been one of the Valley’s most prominent post-hardcore acts. Their last album, Go West Young Man, Let the Evil Go East, earned the band glowing reviews from sites like Absolute Punk, and the band’s participation in the Vans Warped Tour helped them garner a national…