Daily Bowie - Diamond Dogs

This ain't rock n' roll!  This is genocide!

"Diamond Dogs," your Daily Bowie...

Sally Shapiro

It appears that the Swedish electro-synth-pop duo Sally Shapiro (the name of the group, not a person) are calling in quits, but they're leaving us with one last single, the floating dance track "If You Ever Wanna Change Your Mind."  Let the warm, synthy jam take you away.  Listen below and get the single from Fika Recordings.

Brian Eno

The legendary Brian Eno has a new album out this Friday on Warp called "The Ship."  It's a beautiful mix of ambient moods and pop melodies, and it's probably some of the best work Eno has done in years.  Listen to the album's finale, the third section of the "Fickle Sun" suite, a cover of The Velvet Underground's "I'm Set Free."  It's gorgeous.  I'm so glad i got to hear this today.

Daily Bowie - Seven

From the 1999 "Hours" LP, "Seven" is your Daily Bowie.

Haunt

LA duo Haunt craft dreamy, wistful lo-fi synth jams to float away and break hearts to, a perfect soundtrack for headphones and bedrooms everywhere.  Listen to "Perfume" below and get the "Crush/So Far" cassette from Track and Field.

Daily Bowie - The Width of a Circle

"The Width of a Circle," your Daily Bowie...

Patience - The Church

Patience is the synth pop project of former Veronica Falls front woman Roxanne Clifford, and the first sample, the upcoming "The Church" 7", is a gorgeous, 80's nostalgia fest, full of the kind of wistful atmospherics you'd expect from a John Hughes soundtrack.  Check out the retro-VHS video for the A-side below and grab the record from Night School.

JJUUJJUU

Last month during SXSW, i saw the band name JJUUJJUU all over the place, playing a ton of different parties and showcases and whatnot, but i never saw them.  Now, i see they are on the schedule for Levitation this weekend, so i guess that's the universe's way of telling me to check them out.  Hailing from LA, the duo(?) weave scores of reverb into their garage rock psychedelia, creating a sort of sun drenched and hazy atmosphere...perfect for watching in the muggy heat at a ranch on Sunday.  Listen to the band's latest single "BLECK" below and download it here.

Daily Bowie - Fall Dog Bombs the Moon

The raw and amazingly titled "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" from 2003's "Reality," your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Rock n Roll Suicide

Man, what a week.  Here's a little "Rock n Roll Suicide" to make it better, maybe one of the best songs ever recorded.  Your Daily Bowie...

Daily Bowie - Lazarus

There certainly seems to be some kickass band being assembled somewhere in the afterlife.  Listen to and watch the video for "Lazarus" below, your Daily Bowie.

That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?

So, yesterday after hearing the news that Prince had passed away, i wanted to post some kind of tribute to the Purple One.  Due to the protective nature the man had over his art, it's kind of hard to find songs to post, and everyone already seemed to have the big, legendary live stuff covered anyway (Superbowl/George Harrison tribute/Coachella "Creep" cover/etc).  And so today i give you Dump.

Dump was (is?) the project of Yo La Tengo member James McNew, a moniker used for releasing home recorded 4-track demos and other stuff.  Way, way back in 1998, Dump put out a mini-album of Prince covers called "That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?" that was later reissued three years later with additional tracks.  These fuzzy takes on Prince classics are absolutely fantastic, and a perfect representation of how his funky, revolutionary style and art managed to work its fingers and notes into every single nook and cranny of music and pop culture.

The CD is long out of print, and at last check this morning was going for almost $300 on Amazon.  But you can hear all the songs over on Youtube.  Check out "Raspberry Beret" and "When U Were Mine" below and have a purple day.

Levitation Pet Sounds Tribute

Thanks to my wonderful wife, i will be fortunate enough to see Brian Wilson perform the monumental "Pet Sounds" in its entirety next weekend at Levitation (formerly the Austin Psych Fest).  To celebrate the occasion, the festival and its offshoot record label, the Reverberation Appreciation Society, have put together a tribute album featuring a slew of reverby psych rock bands contributing their takes on these classic cuts.  The record features The Black Angels, Shannon and The Clams, Cosmonauts, and more.  Listen to Night Beats' version of "Sloop John B" below, look for the record in stores later in May, and/or grab a copy at the fest if you're going to be there...and then share a beer with me.

Daily Bowie - Aladdin Sane

"Aladdin Sane" is today's Daily Bowie.  Something about Mike Garson's haunting piano work on the tune just feels appropriate today.  Listen below.

RIP Richard Lyons

Yesterday was a rough one for musicians.  Shortly after hearing about Prince, i was also informed that Negativeland co-founder Richard Lyons had also passed away...also at age 57.  And i'm still not over Bowie.  Can we all agree to cut this crap out for a little while.  RIP Richard Lyons.

RIP Prince

Man, it's sad to see this guy go.  Reports are flooding the net that Prince was found dead at his estate in Minnesota.  I've always had a soft spot for the eccentric (odd) artist, even his less than stellar output (of which there is plenty), from his ever presence in my youth with "Purple Rain" and the "Batman" soundtrack, to feeling kind of dirty watching his potentially overt sexual videos on MTV or VH1 late at night, to his mind blowingly brilliant performance at the Superbowl a decade ago.  The rain poured down as he played "Purple Rain," and it was wonderful and perfect and better than any halftime show before or since.  I'm really going to miss the "Purple One," you weird, sexy mofo.

RIP Prince.

Daily Bowie - Rebel Rebel

It's inevitable.  I always come back for more "Diamond Dogs."  Listen to the classic "Rebel Rebel" below, your Daily Bowie...

Raime

It's been a few years since we last heard from the dark and dissonant Raime, but the artist's sophomore album "Tooth" is just on the horizon now, set for release in June on Blackest Ever Black.  The noise and atmosphere is just as bleak as ever, but there seems to be an underlying urgency to these brooding, somber sound experiments as evidenced by first sample "Dead Heat."  Listen to the track below, feel the uneasiness rising, and pre-order the album here.

LUH - Beneath the Concrete

We are finally getting an album from former WU LYF frontman Ellery James Roberts' ongoing project LUH (Lost Under Heaven) in a couple weeks from Mute.  Watch the video for the anthemic "Beneath the Concrete" below and preorder the "Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing" LP here.

Daily Bowie - Neuköln

Let's get weird today.  Featuring an assist from Brian Eno, here's the dark and icy instrumental "Neuköln" from 1978's "Heroes," your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Up The Hill Backwards

"Up The Hill Backwards," your Daily Bowie...

Xeno & Oaklander

"Topiary" is the latest album from synth dark(ish)wave duo Xeno & Oaklander, due in June from Ghostly.  Listen to "Marble" below.  It makes me want to dance by myself awkwardly in a dark corner somewhere whilst smoking cigarettes.

Daily Bowie - Heat

"Heat," your Daily Bowie...

Daily Bowie - Oh! Your Pretty Things

Because it's apparently prom and there are a whole mess of drunken, hyper, shouting teenagers running around my block, let's listen to "Oh! You Pretty Things," your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Sue (Or a Season in Crime)

Today's Daily Bowie, the original 10" single version of "Sue (Or a Season in Crime)."  Listen below.

Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach

Every single Record Store Day, i come across an album i didn't even know was coming out because it was never included on the official list.  And every single Record Store Day i'm surprised by this.  I should probably be used to it by now.  Today brought the release in the now yearly series of Nirvana tribute albums courtesy of Robotic Empire.  "Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach" features artists like Thou, Young Widows, and Beach Slang taking on Nirvana's debut album "Bleach."  Take a listen to This Will Destroy You's version of "Paper Cuts" below, and i guess we'll see an "Incesticide" tribute next year to go along with the other three.  Hooray!

DJ Shadow and Run the Jewels

It's been a while since we last heard from DJ Shadow, i had all but forgotten about him, but with the impending release of new album "The Mountain Will Fall," and the collaboration with Run the Jewels on first single "Nobody Speak," he seems to be insuring i don't forget again.  "Nobody Speak" is all blaring horns, jazzy beats, and synth blips with El-P and Killer Mike just slaying the verses.  Listen below and get the record in June on Mass Appeal.

Flaming Lips - Space Oddity

One of my all time favorite artists covering one of my all time favorite artists.  So much Bowie love.  Watch the video for The Flaming Lips' cover of "Space Oddity" below.

Daily Bowie - Suffragette City

"Suffragette City" is your Daily Bowie...Wham, Bam, Thank you ma'am!

Daily Bowie - Speed of Life

There are so many good songs on Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy," and a whole slew of amazing instrumentals on those first two records.  Listen to "Speed of Life," the amazing album opener from "Low" below, your Daily Bowie.

Xiu Xiu - Into The Night

A week or two ago, i posted experimental band Xiu Xiu's cover of Julee Cruise's "Falling" from their upcoming "Twin Peaks" tribute/reinterpretation album.  Here's another cut from the record, which is definitely on my must-obtain list for Record Store Day this Saturday, and the video for the band's take on "Into The Night."

BADBADNOTGOOD - Speaking Gently

Toronto jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD released a gorgeous new single today, the floaty, funky "Speaking Gently."  Listen below and be on the lookout later this year for their album,"IV," on Innovative Leisure.

Exploded View

Exploded View is the new band featuring Anika on vocals.  Her post-punk-Nico style is ever present on the dystopian sonic space that is "No More Parties in the Attic."  Listen below and get the 7" of the same name on Sacred Bones.

Daily Bowie - Golden Years

I feel like it's a "Golden Years" kind of afternoon...your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Win

"Win," your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - The Jean Genie

A jam inspired by Iggy Pop, here's "The Jean Genie," your Daily Bowie.

The KVB

Cold War iciness abounds on the latest album from the now Berlin-located shoegaze/darkwave/synth duo The KVB.  There's a swirling, haunted moodiness in every nook and cranny, and a combination of sonic elements that i've been seeking out in the music i listen to for the last 20 years.  Listen to "In Deep" below and get the "Of Desire" LP from Geoff Barrow's Invada Records.

Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts released a new album this week, and it's quite good, which should really come as no surprise as the band has been carving out its own post-punkish niche for a couple of years now, combing the sounds of The Fall, Orange Juice, and more with soulful aplomb.  Listen to the title track from "Human Performance" below and grab the record from Rough Trade.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Cactus by David Bowie

Like last time, i thought i'd end our second edition of Bowie Covers Week with Bowie performing a cover of his own.  From 2002's "Heathen," here's the Thin White Duke taking on The Pixies' "Cactus," your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Heroes by Magnetic Fields

"Heroes" is one of those songs that i seem to enjoy regardless of who is performing it...even The Wallflowers.  One of my favorites comes from The Magnetic Fields, taken from the 1996 tribute album "Crash Course for the Ravers."  Listen below, your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Win by Mark Kozelek and Mike Patton

Today's Daily Bowie cover comes from a record that hasn't even come out yet, though i'm sure it will certainly work its way into my collection when it's released in May.  Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon) teams with Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle) to perform a lovely, piano driven version "Win" from the "Young Americans" LP.  The duo turn a spacey soul jam into a quaint and bittersweet lullaby.  Listen below, and grab the "Mark Kozelek Sings Favorites" from Caldo Verde at the end of May.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Cat People by Danzig

Even Danzig covered Bowie.  Listen to his take on "Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)" from the 2007 album "The Lost Tracks of Danzig."  Your Daily Bowie.

Slasher Dave

Synth artist Slasher Dave has been around a couple of years now, crafting lovely retro jams as odes to 80's horror movies that never existed...but maybe should have.  His latest album "Excorcisms" finds him going back even further, combing the sounds of 70's horror for even more retro fun.  Listen to "Deliver Us from Evil" below and grab the album from Bellyache Records.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Scary Monsters by Superchunk

Today's Daily Bowie cover comes from the always dependable Superchunk, who supply us with a crunchy, guitar driven version of "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)," from their 2003 B-sides and rarities collection, "Cup of Sand."  It sounds exactly like it's supposed to.

RIP Merle Haggard

Damn.  RIP Merle Haggard.

The Body/Full of Hell

A week or two after releasing their self-proclaimed gross pop album "No One Deserves Happiness," a surefire contender for my favorite album of the year, experimental-industrial-doom-metal duo The Body are back with another release, a collaborative record with the Maryland nihilistic metal band Full of Hell called "One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache."  Hole references aside, this newer record is just as blistering and bleak as anything the band has done to date.  Get it from Neurot Recordings and watch the video for "Fleshworks" below.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - John, I'm Only Dancing by Vivian Girls

Here's the Vivian Girls' wonderful take on "John, I'm Only Dancing," taken from the "We Were So Turned On" Bowie tribute album from a few years ago, your Daily Bowie.

I miss Vivian Girls.

Daily Bowie (Cover Week 2) - Modern Love by Rogue Wave

Doing paternity days this week, so why not do another week of Bowie covers to help pass the time.  First up is the fantastic version of "Modern Love" performed by the band Rogue Wave, taken from last year's "A Salute to the Thin White Duke" tribute LP.  I've never really been all that into Rogue Wave, but may have to reevaluate that stance based on this spacey, epic, and moving take on one of my all time favorite Bowie jams.  Listen below, your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Young Americans

I am so tired.  But let's listen to "Young Americans" anyway...and then i'm going to bed.  Your Daily Bowie.

Daily Bowie - Absolute Beginners

Though the same sessions would lead to an unfortunate Bowie/Jagger duet (shudder), they also produced the lovely and sublime pop song "Absolute Beginners" recorded for the film of the same name.  Your Daily Bowie.