Merry Christmas To All

To all my readers,

A very Merry Christmas to you and to your loved ones. May you spend it with love and peace.

Always Alternative,

Edwin

The Most Significant Indie Records

Pixies - Surfer Rosa (4AD/ Rough Trade, 1988)

Brainy yet ballsy, the Pixies took structure and stood it on its head, somehow leaving the song intact and stronger for the ordeal. At a time when college radio had found its formula, the Pixies took that formula and tilted it a hair. Not the most groundbreaking rock music ever made but a virtual textbook for every new band who wanted to know hoe to rock "alternatively."

Phrase of The Day

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Halloween Political Cartoons

I was looking at some political cartoons this morning and found some that were Halloween related. They are funny as well as insightful. Enjoy!!!

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween!!! I hope everyone enjoys this spooky day! Happy Halloween to everyone!!!

Always Alternative,

Edwin

SUNDAY'S TOP 5:October 31, 2010

MY TOP 5 HALLOWEEN ALBUMS FOR THIS SUNDAY ARE:

1. VARIOUS ARTISTS - JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH: NEW WAVE HALLOWEEN

2. ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - HALLOWEEN: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

3. ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK: TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

4. ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK- TIME BURTON'S CORPSE'S BRIDE

5. PHILLIP GLASS - DRACULA

WHAT IS IN A NAME: ALT-ROCKER STAGE NAMES (AND THE REAL ONES)

Annabella Lwin (Myint Myint Aye)

The Discreet Charm of Morrissey

"Obviously Madonna reinforces everything absurd and offensive... Madonna is closer to organised prostitution than anything else. I mean the music industry is obviously prostitution anyway but there are degrees."

Alt-Rocker Quotes

“I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.”

-Kurt Cobain

Phrase of The Day

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007)

SUNDAY'S TOP 5: OCTOBER 17, 2010

MY TOP 5 ALBUMS FOR THIS SUNDAY ARE:

1. MORRISSEY - BONA DRAG: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

2. RIDE - NOWHERE

3. CAST - ALL CHANGE

4. THE JEZEBELS - DARK STORM (EP)

5. I BLAME COCO - THE CONSTANT

The Most Significant Indie Records

Pavement - Watery, Domestic EP (Matador, 1992)

Much like the Band before them, Pavement knowledgeably assimilate the elements of their tradition and use them to highlight their own personality. Originally a bicoastal recording group with several indie singles and EPs under their belt, Pavement eventually solidified its lineup and recorded a proper album Slanted and Enchanted, and this EP which is less wearing and contains some of the band's best songs.

Phrase of The Day

I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.

Ian Fleming (1908 - 1964)

SAD NEWS TODAY

I just found out that the King of Rock 'n' Soul has passed away today. Solomon Burke died this morning at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, on or immediately after a flight from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, where he had been due to perform with De Dijk on October 12. The cause of death was not immediately clear. According to his family, Burke died of natural causes. During the half-century that he performed, he drew from his roots: gospel, soul, and blues, as well as developing his own style in a time when R&B, and rock were still in their infancy. Burke was considered a pioneer and was a member of the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Burke was 70 years old.

SUNDAY'S TOP 5: OCTOBER 10, 2010

MY TOP 5 ALBUMS FOR THIS SUNDAY ARE:

1. MORRISSEY - BONA DRAG:20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

2. AZURE RAY - DRAWING DOWN THE MOON

3. SOLOMON BURKE - HOME IN YOUR HEART: THE BEST OF SOLOMON BURKE

4. THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS - THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS

5. CARL BARÂT - CARL BARÂT

The Discreet Charm of Morrissey

"Yes, I can hear lots of people saying, 'Ah that's because you're too old' but whether you're 50 or 15 I feel I can identify ugly clothing. It's an outstandingly unflattering fashion unless the shape of your body is triangular."

Today In Alternative Music History: September 29, 1991

MTV premieres the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The clip and song have an enormous impact defining the burgeoning Grunge movement.

Phrase of The Day

An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions.

Robert A. Humphrey

Word Of The Day

fret\FRET\ DEFINITION verb

1: to eat or gnaw into : wear, corrode; also : fray
2: to become vexed or worried
3: agitate
EXAMPLES: A consummate worrier, he frets over every little thing that might go wrong.

"Some political analysts had fretted before the speech that Obama would use the occasion as a 'victory lap' in the same way that Mr. Bush famously declared 'mission accomplished' for Iraq in May 2003." -- From an article by Howard LaFranchi in The Christian Science Monitor, September 1, 2010

DID YOU KNOW?Since its first use centuries ago, "fret" has referred to an act of eating, especially when done by animals, in particular small ones. You might speak, for example, of moths "fretting" your clothing. Like "eat," "fret" also developed figurative senses to describe actions that corrode or wear away. A river could be said to "fret away" at its banks or something might be said to be "fretted out" with time or age. "Fret" can also be applied to emotional experiences so that something that "eats away at us" might be said to "fret the heart or mind." This use developed into the specific meaning of "vex" or "worry" with which we often use "fret" today.

Today In Alternative Music History: September 12, 1987

Morrissey leaves The Smiths to go solo.

Born On This Day: Liam Gallagher, September 12, 1972

The former lead singer for Oasis and current singer for Beady Eye celebrates his birthday today. William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher was born in Burnage, Manchetser, England.

Phrase of The Day

It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), The Model Millionaire, 1912

Word Of The Day

mayhap\MAY-hap\
DEFINITION adverb : perhaps

EXAMPLE"Mayhap this thought will lead to another, that perhaps we should have second thoughts about becoming a society all about consumption." (The Bismarck Tribune, November 21, 2007)

DID YOU KNOW?
If "mayhap" looks to you like a relative of its synonym "perhaps," you're right -- the words are related. Both ultimately derive from the Middle English noun "hap," meaning "chance" or "fortune." "Mayhap" was formed by combining the phrase "(it) may hap" into a single word. "Hap" here is a verb essentially meaning "happen" (the word "maybe," another synonym of "mayhap" and "perhaps," was developed similarly from "may" and the verb "be"), and the verb "hap" comes from the noun "hap." "Perhaps" came about when "per" (meaning "through the agency of") was combined directly with the noun "hap" to form one word. Today "mayhap" is a rare word in contrast with the very common "maybe" and "perhaps," but it does show up occasionally.

SUNDAY'S TOP 5: SEPTEMBER 12, 2010

MY TOP 5 ALBUMS FOR THIS SUNDAY'S LISTENING PLEASURE ARE:

1. EDWYN COLLINS - LOSING SLEEP

2. KATE BUSH - NEVER FOR EVER

3. KATE BUSH - HOUNDS OF LOVE

4. TRICKY - MIXED RACE

5. CROCODILES - SLEEP FOREVER

Born On This Day: Chrissie Hynde September 7, 1951

The lead singer for the Pretenders has a birthday today. Christine Ellen Hynde was born in Akron, Ohio.

... AND THE WINNER IS.... THE XX

Well, the Barcalay Mercury Prize Awards has come and gone. The winner for this year's prize of 20,000 British Pounds went to the band The XX. The judging panel voted their album xx the best of the past year. The band took the stage to collect their award. Oliver Sim addressed the audience . He thanked the audience and said that the band had the most incredible year. He quoted; "Everyday we've woken up to something incredible." He also said that being at the ceremony was a "weird moment" for the band and then thanked their record company. Oliver then hugged his bandmates Romy Madley Croft and Jaime Smith before the trio left the stage. Congratulations The XX! Well done!!!

The Discreet Charm Of Morrissey

"We're all lonely, but I'd rather be lonely by myself than with a long list of duties and obligations."

The Discreet Charm of Morrissey

"Well, I haven't been anywhere, but I suppose some people will view it as a new beginning."

Phrase of The Day

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Word Of The Day

Sisyphean\sis-uh-FEE-un\adjective

: of, relating to, or suggestive of the labors of Sisyphus; specifically : requiring continual and often ineffective effort.

EXAMPLE"Considering the inherently fickle nature of golf, defending a title is, no doubt, as Sisyphean a task as any in the sport." (Anthony Cuaycong, BusinessWorld, July 2008)

DID YOU KNOW?In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who annoyed the gods with his trickery. As a consequence, he was condemned for eternity to roll a huge rock up a long, steep hill in the underworld, only to watch it roll back down. The story of Sisyphus is often told in conjunction with that of Tantalus, who was condemned to stand beneath fruit-laden boughs, up to his chin in water. Whenever he bent his head to drink, the water receded, and whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches moved beyond his grasp. Thus to "tantalize" is to tease or torment by offering something desirable but keeping it out of reach -- and something "Sisyphean" (or "Sisyphian," pronounced \sih-SIFF-ee-un\) demands unending, thankless, and ultimately unsuccessful efforts

Born On This Day: Brad Wilk, September 5, 1968

The drummer for Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave celebrates his birthday today. Brad was born in Portland, Oregon.

The Most Significant Indie Records

Let It Be - The Replacements (Twin/Tone, 1984)

The little band that couldn't. The great American Rock Band of the eighties who could never pull it together long enough to pull it off good. Too true to their ethics, too full of the renegade rock & roll vibe and too afraid of being eaten alive by the business, when the 'Mats finally crashed and burned it was in many pieces that will never again be put together in quite the same way. Their records only capture part of the magic, but the magic of Let It Be captures is considerable. Paul Westerberg's heart-on-sleeve songwriting and shining, shoddy voice, goofy throwaways, the odd cover, Bob Stinson's over-the-top guitar, and the bumbling rhythm section-it's all here.

SUNDAY'S TOP 5: SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER ENTRY OF MY TOP 5 ALBUMS I'M LISTENING TO FOR THIS SUNDAY AND THEY ARE:




1.THE CHARLATANS - WHO WE TOUCH

2.MANIC STREET PREACHERS - POSTCARDS FROM A YOUNG MAN

3.ROSALIA DE SOUZA - D'IMPROVVISO

4.ANDREYA TRIANA LOST WHERE I BELONG

5.THE SMITHEREENS - BLOW UP

Born On This Day: Jerry Augustyniak , September 2, 1958

The drummer for 10,000 Maniacs celebrates his birthday today. Jerome Stanley Augustyniak was born in Sloan, New York.