Chile-based German DJ/producer’s new album features Latin electronic and cha cha cha tributes to Daft Punk, Prince, the Eurythmics.

By Blurt Staff

On Nov. 18, Nacional Records will release Around the World, the new album by Chile-based German producer Señor Coconut (Uwe Schmidt), and reissue Coconut’s debut album, El Baile Alemán.

Around the World will apply a Latin touch to “classic club hits by… Daft Punk ("Around the World"), Prince ("Kiss"), Laid Back ("White Horse"), and the Eurythmics ("Sweet Dreams).” Track-by-track notes from Señor Coconut follow this post.

El Baile Alemán, Coconut’s Latin tribute to Kraftwerk, will be reissued on CD (with bonus tracks)—and for the first time, via download.

Track list:

1. Around the World (Intro)

2. Sweet Dreams

3. Da Da Da Ich Leib Dich Nicht du Liebst Mich

4. Kiss

5. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)           

6. Around the World (Interlude)           

7. Que Rico El Mambo                       

8. Pinball Chacha                       

9. White Horse                       

10. La Vida Es Llena de Cables           

11. Moscow Discow

12. Around the World (Outro)

13. Dreams Are My

14. Voodoo Dreams [Atom Remix]

Track-by-track:

AROUND THE WORLD - "With my Señor Coconut project, I receive a whole lot of ideas from friends, fans, and other musicians. My friend and valued colleague, Original Hamster, once mentioned 'Around the World' by the French group Daft Punk and since then this track had been stuck in my head. But in parallel with this, Thomas Baxter, son of the legendary exotica musician and composer Les Baxter, asked me whether I would be interested in remixing one of his father's tracks ('Voodoo Dreams' is included on this album as a bonus track). While I was getting absorbed in Les Baxter and listening to him closely, I discovered an album of his entitled 'Round the World with Les Baxter'.

The theme of 'Around the World' began to take hold of me. It can certainly be said that 'Around the World' - whether interpreted by Les Baxter, Señor Coconut, or anyone else - always reflects only a subjective view of the world. The world of Les Baxter is just as incomplete as that of Señor Coconut, defined by the time and place of our respective existences. After the title of the Señor Coconut album had been decided on, it was of course clear that Daft Punk's 'Around the World' would have to be the leitmotif. The track therefore appears three times on the album: as introduction, interlude and finale."

SWEET DREAMS - "Once 'Around the World' had been established as theme and motto of the album, the first prerequisite was that every track had to come from a different country. One track that had been in my thoughts for years for a Señor Coconut production was 'Sweet Dreams' by the British band Eurythmics. It is simply rhythmically and melodically a perfect cha-cha-cha. The ultimate criterion with Señor Coconut is always purely musical: 'Does that give me any interesting ideas?' Suddenly I heard very clearly its lyrics which provide a curious cross-reference to 'Around the World': 'I travelled the world and the seven seas... Everybody's looking for something.'"

DA DA DA - "A few years ago I had the pleasure of doing a remix for Stephan Remmler, so we were already in contact. Stephan likes Señor Coconut and my work on the remix reminded me of 'Da Da Da'. I realized that 'Da Da Da' was virtually crying out to be done as a cha-cha-cha. Rhythmically and melodically, it was clear where the musical journey should go. I asked Stephan if he would be interested in singing and he agreed immediately. I think that hardly any other German track from the 80s was as emblematic or as German as 'Da Da Da.' In my opinion, the brilliant simplicity of the song makes it THE German representative on 'Around the World.""

KISS - "Again, it was Original Hamster who brought 'Kiss' to my attention. Together with Argenis Brito, I translated the lyrics into Spanish and the decision was made to include this song on the album. The real fascination of this song is that the original has no bass line and that its charm lies in its simplicity (and that was the connection to 'Da Da Da'). At the musical level, the challenge was to convey these two aspects in Señor Coconut style."

QUE RICO EL MAMBO - "The original by Perez Prado is quite simply THE Mambo track par excellence. It was also high time to have Perez Prado appear on a Señor Coconut album, not just as a guiding spirit but directly. There are Prado references on all the Señor Coconut albums and he is probably my most important source of inspiration. It is interesting that Perez Prado is in no way a representative of Latin American "standards" but is characterized much more by having continually rejected these standards (apart from those which he himself created). Perez Prado compositions are remarkable not only for their unconventional arrangements and playing styles but also for their wit and simplicity."

PINBALL CHACHA - "Just as on 'El Baile Alemán' and 'Yellow Fever!', an originally electronic track is re-interpreted acoustically. This song is by the Swiss band Yello and was always a cha-cha-cha. This is already enough to explain why it ended up on the album. Produced by Yello at the beginning of the 80s using one of the first samplers, the original version plays with elements which are typical of "exotica" such as sampled bird calls and forest sounds."

WHITE HORSE - "Argenis Brito turned me on to the track. When I found myself short of up-tempo tracks, and it occurred to me that the original 'White Horse' track by the Danish combo Laid Back would be perfect as a merengue song, I knew that I simply HAD to cover it. 'White Horse' is in fact a reference to cocaine ('If you wanna ride, don't ride the white horse...'), a substance which is very popular in the merengue scene and is without doubt responsible for the nervousness of this rhythm."

Human Giant and Flight of the Conchords star embarks on stand-up tour.

By Blurt Staff

While we await the third season of Human Giant and more news about his The Office spinoff, Aziz Ansari is taking his sweet act to us. The 16-date (so far) “Glow in the Dark” tour starts Saturday, Oct. 25 in Saratoga Springs, NY and will hit NYC, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and other U.S. cities through Jan. 24. More dates to be announced.

Check out Aziz's interview with M.I.A. as well as Jeff Miller's Aziz profile and A.D. Amorosi's Human Giant feature--all done pre-Blurt for the dearly deparated Harp magazine.

Aziz Ansari ComedyCentral.com "Clip Joint":

Aziz Ansari's “Glow in the Dark” tour dates:

10.25.08 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Skidmore College - More Info
10.26.08 - Ithaca, NY - Ithaca College - Buy Tickets
11.08.08 - Notre Dame, ID - Notre Dame (Legends) - More Info
11.13.08 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door - Buy Tickets
11.20.08 - Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.10.08 - Atlanta, GA - Punchline - Buy Tickets
12.11.08 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt - Buy Tickets
12.12.08 - Charleston, SC - 99 Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.13.08 - Charleston, SC - 99 Theatre - Buy Tickets
12.19.08 - Austin, TX - Emo's - Buy Tickets
01.09.09 - New York, NY - Comix - On Sale 10/28/08
01.10.09 - New York, NY - Comix - On Sale 10/28/08
01.17.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Largo at the Coronet - On Sale 10/28/08
01.22.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08
01.23.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08
01.24.09 - San Francisco, CA - The Punchline - On Sale 10/28/08

(Photo: Randy Harward)

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

9:00 AM SYN: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Kenny Chesney

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Billy Bob Thornton , The Boxmasters

10:00 AM RAVE HD: Soundstage: Lyle Lovett , Randy Newman , Mark Isham

1:00 PM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Steve Carell / Kanye West

2:00 PM Sundance: Help! (1965)

6:00 PM Ovation: Deep Blues (1991) w/R.L. Burnside , Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes , Jessie Mae Hemphill , Big Jack Johnson , Junior Kimbrough , Jack Owens

8:00 PM VH1C: David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk

9:00 PM Comedy Central: Chappelle's Show: Talib Kweli

9:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Aesop Rock

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Black Kids

12:00 AM MOJO: London Live!: Morrissey , Mohair , Wolfmother , Goldfrapp

12:00 AM TV Land: TV Land Myths & Legends: Manson, Monkees and Mister Ed

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Knux

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Ludacris

1:00 AM ETV: Saturday Night Live (E!): Will Ferrell / Queens of the Stone Age

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Panic at the Disco

2:00 AM Ovation: Deep Blues (1991)

2:00 AM Sundance: Live from Abbey Road: The Hoosiers, The Black Keys & Manu Chao

Also doing Get Out The Vote Rally in Seattle Nov.3 w/Pearl Jammers

By Blurt Staff

After marching together at the Democratic National Convention and playing together at both the DNC and the RNC, Boots Riley (the Coup) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, the Nightwatchman - also due as the BLURT Nov. digital magazine cover star) are going on tour together.  The famed guitarist and activist has tapped the incendiary political MC to be main support on his North American tour, beginning on November 1^st in San Francisco.

On November 3^rd, Riley and Morello will play a Get Out the Vote rally and concert in Seattle WA, alongside Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Mike McCready and other special guests.  The show is part of a larger effort by all the artists involved to energize young voters in this historic election. Following the three week tour with Morello, Riley will then play two shows with Meshell Ndegeocello in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

A lifelong activist, raised, residing and educating in Oakland CA, Riley will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Practical Activism Conference at the University of California, Santa Cruz on October 25^th.  Riley's work, which ranges from local issues in the Bay Area - such as his efforts alongside other human rights organizations to block California's Proposition 21 -- to international concerns - such as his participation the World Conference Against Racism - has set "an unprecedented standard of political organizing among hip hop artists" (College Nine and College Ten).

Boots Riley on tour with Tom Morello:

11.01.08 - San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)
11.02.08 - Portland, OR (Wonder Ballroom)
11.03.08 - Seattle, WA (Showbox Theatre)*
11.05.08 - Vancouver, BC (Commodore Ballroom)
11.07.08 - Salt Lake City, UT (The Depot)
11.08.08 - Aspen, CO (Belly Up Aspen)
11.08.08 - Boulder, CO (Fox Theater)
11.11.08 - Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Café)
11.12.08 - Milwaukee, WI (Turner Hall Ballroom)
11.13.08 - Indianapolis, IN (The Vogue)
11.15.08 - Detroit, MI (Majestic Theater)
11.16.08 - Toronto, ONT (Opera House)
11.17.08 - Boston, MA (Middle East)
11.19.08 - Baltimore, MD (Sonar)

11.20.08 - Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
11.21.08 - New York, NY (The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza)

12.07.08 - San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)**

12.08.08 - Los Angeles, CA (House of Blues)**

* Get Out The Vote Show w/ Tom Morello & members of Pearl Jam

** with Meshell Ndegeocello

That sound? A brace of Axl Rose's lawyers banging on CWL's door...

By Fred Mills

Ludacris Democracy is the name, and giving it away for free is the game, according to the ever-zany Cassettes Won't Listen.

The band has created a mashup of Ludacris with Guns N. Roses - "one of the most highly anticipated albums of all time," they describe it, and we think they mean Chinese Democracy and not the mashup, but either works for us.

 According to the band, "In celebration of new albums from both Guns n' Roses and Ludacris next month, Cassettes Won't Listen offers up this 9 song free (for experimental purposes only) album featuring classic tracks from the Atlanta MC set to 9 previously leaked Chinese Democracy tracks.

Er, we smell a lawsuit from the Gunners' camp very soon.... So better hit this link fast:

Download the full release for FREE at www.ludacrisdemocracy.com 

Whoops - you were too slow. Sorry pal. The page you're viewing now hosts a cease-and-desist letter from the RIAA that reads, in part, "Dear Sir or Madam. I am contacting you on behalf of the RIAA... We believe your server is hosting... a sound recording for download by the artists known as Guns N' Roses and Ludacris... We have good faith belief that the above-referenced activity is not authorized by the copyright owner.... We request that you remove the infringing file from the system [or] you may be liable for... damages."

As CWL says on the second page of the site, "Sorry. It's out there somewhere."

And that's why God created bit torrents. Let the file sharing begin! Nice publicity stunt for CWL, however....

Back to the drawing board, perhaps lads, hmmm?

By Fred Mills

This morning word arrived via Pitchfork that R.E.M.'s classic, influential '83 screed Murmur will get the expanded/remaster treatment on Nov. 25: that's when the two-CD Murmur: Deluxe Edition arrives in stores via Ume. It will include essays from Mitch Easter and Don Dixon (who produced the original sessions) plus, on the second disc, a portion of the oft-bootlegged July 9, 1983 R.E.M. concert at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto.

The full tracklisting appears below.

In fact, let's take a closer look at exactly what's being served up here. While it's very nice to get a contemporary-era remaster of a classic album, in the case of Murmur, it was a nigh-on perfect release anyway; even the CD editions out there have sported superb sound. But we won't dwell on this, and anyway, the whole package, including the new liner notes, should be very nice indeed.

In other areas, however, this reissue seems deeply flawed. Disc 1, which contains the original album, contains no bonus tracks whatsoever. In 1992 a brace of European I.R.S. reissues of R.E.M. albums came out, each boasting a handful of intriguing bonus tracks - Murmur included a cover of the Velvets' "There She Goes Again" (originally the B-side of the re-recorded "Radio Free Europe") and live versions of "Catapult" (Seattle, 6-27-84), "9-9" (France, 4-20-84) and "Gardening At Night" (France, 4-20-84). It's not as if Disc 1 is exactly crammed with content; there's plenty of room, time-wise, to add these four songs.

Disc 2 is also problematic. Yes, it's very cool to have the live show, but you're only getting 16 songs of what was actually a 20-song set (see full tracklist below) The gig's length exceeded the 80 minute limit of a standard CD, but those additional four tracks could have been tacked on the end of Disc 1 in lieu of the aforementioned bonus cuts. So while this may indeed go into what comprises a "Deluxe Edition," UMe isn't exactly doing any real fans and collectors any favors here.

Incidentally, the Larry's Hideaway show has had an interesting trajectory over the years. About 45 minutes of it was originally broadcast over the radio, subsequently generating an oft-traded tape among collectors. Later, an actual soundboard recording of the entire show surfaced, and that became an even more-coveted trade artifact, eventually making its way to bootleg CD (one, among several, titles was R.E.M. Rising, issued by the Red Robin label) and, later, to the file-sharing communities. Google it and you'll immediately turn up plenty of hits if you're interested in nabbing a torrent.

Anyway, most of this will be irrelevant to the general public. But when a band or a label is going to get involved in the process of putting together a so-called Deluxe Edition, sometimes a bit more thought should go into it.

Track List:

Disc 1:

01 Radio Free Europe
02 Pilgrimage
03 Laughing
04 Talk About the Passion
05 Moral Kiosk
06 Perfect Circle
07 Catapult
08 Sitting Still
09 9-9
10 Shaking Through
11 We Walk
12 West of the Fields

Disc 2 (Live at Larry's Hideaway):

01 Laughing
02 Pilgrimage
03 There She Goes Again
04 7 Chinese Brothers
05 Talk About the Passion
06 Sitting Still
07 Harborcoat
08 Catapult
09 Gardening at Night
10 9-9
11 Just a Touch
12 West of the Fields
13 Radio Free Europe
14 We Walk
15 1,000,000
16 Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

***

Larry's Hideaway complete setlist:

01. Wolves, Lower
02. Moral Kiosk
03. Laughing
04. Pilgrimage
05. Moon River
06. There She Goes Again
07. 7 Chinese Brothers
08. Talk About the Passion
09. Sitting Still
10. Harborcoat
11. Catapult
12. Pretty Persuasion
13. Gardening at Night
14. 9-9
15. Just a Touch
16. West of the Fields
17. Radio Free Europe
18. We Walk
19. 1,000,000
20. Carnival of Sorts

If you want other artists' blood, this one's for you.

By Blurt Staff

Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon, Red House) puts his unique interpretative stamp on record once again with the release of The Finally LP, a collection of tracks originally recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. The 10-song LP is issued on his own Caldo Verde Records on Dec. 9.

 
Highlights include a country tinged version of ‘Lazy' by Low, ‘Bedtime Lullaby' from the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!, and an intimate, acoustic version Stephen Sondhiem's ‘Send In The Clowns' recorded for the Minneapolis Bridge Disaster Benefit CD. The album also includes radio show rarities, a previously unreleased version of Husker Dü's ‘Celebrated Summer' and two previously unreleased original instrumentals

Tour Dates:

Nov 7th Norfolk, VA Attucks Theater

Nov 8th Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle

Nov 10th Washington, DC Rock n' Roll Hotel

Nov 12th Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Neil Halstead

Nov 15th Orlando, FL Gibson Showroom

Track listing for ‘The Finally LP'

1. Piano Song  2. Finally 3. New Partner 4. Send In The Clowns 5. Lazy 6. Bedtime Lullaby 7. Celebrated Summer 8. My Friend Bob  9. If You Want Blood 10. Gaping Mouth

Produced by Mark Kozelek

Track 1 by Mark Kozelek (God Forbid Publishing, BMI). Previously unreleased
(2006).

Track 2 by Kath Bloom (BMI). Previously released on Loving Takes This
Course - A Tribute To The Songs Of Kath Bloom (2008).

Track 3 by Will Oldham (Royal Stable Music, ASCAP). Previously released on I
am a Cold Rock, I am Dull Grass - A Tribute To Will Oldham (2006).

Track 4 by Stephen Sondheim (ASCAP).Previously released on Musician For
Minneapolis: 57 Songs For The I-35 Bridge Disaster Relief Effort (2008)

Track 5 by Low (Chairkickers Music, BMI). Previously released on We Could
Live In Hope - A Tribute To Low (2006).

Track 6 by Jarond Gibbs (Yo Gabba Gabba! Cast, ASCAP), originally heard on
the Nickelodeon television show Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nickelodeon Music 2008).

Track 7 by Bob Mould (Husker Songs, BMI). Previously unreleased (2003).

Track 8 by Dom Leone (Ed's Quality Music, BMI). Previously released on Guess
Who This Is: A Tribute to Dom Leone (2001).

Track 9 by Young, Young, and Scott (J. Albert & Son Pty ltd, ASCAP). Previously unreleased. Recorded at Antena 3 Radio, Lisbon, Potugal, 2002.

Track 10 by Mark Kozelek (God Forbid Publishing, BMI). Originally released
as the soundtrack to the short film Gaping Mouth (2007).

Features some intriguing guest appearances, too.

By Fred Mills

On the heels of his acclaimed 2007 solo album Post-War, Portland guitar auteur teamed up for this year's collaboration with Zoey Deschanel (as She & Him) for Volume One. That critical success notwithstanding, Ward now turns his attentions back to his solo career: next Feb. 17 he'll release Hold Time (Merge).

The record, which the label sensibly describes as "eloquent and startlingly beautiful", will feature guest spots from Deschanel, Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, Lucinda Williams and DeVotchKa's Tom Hagerman. Advises Merge, "Ward, with his brilliant guitar playing and innate sense of melody, is one of those rare and special talents who defy comparisons and compartmentalization. Like a true American treasure, M. Ward cuts his own groove while music fans continue to fall under his whispered spell."

Hey, we are all about falling under artists' whispered spells!

Meanwhile, Ward and Deschanel are reportedly working on a Volume 2, so keep your eyes peeled for details as they emerge.

Music Hall of Famer Bob Rock produces Northern Avenger

By Mandy Rodgers

Set to drop Nov. 18 on Sudden Death Records, Northern Avenger teams Vancouver band D.O.A. and Vancouver producer Bob Rock to make music. The record celebrates the band's 30^th anniversary of hardcore punk music after many changes and evolutions with the group and music industry.

Founding members, frontman Joey Shithead Keithley (Canada's Godfather of Punk) and bassist Randy Rampage, are featured on Northern Avenger alongside drummer Floor Tom Jones, who fills in for Chuck Biscuits after his retirement in 1999. Keithley owns Sudden Death Records and is the only member of D.O.A. to stay through the entire history of the group and authored the book, I Shithead...A Life in Punk.

According to the band's label, Keithley "formed D.O.A at the beginning of the punk movement, and the band quickly earned a reputation as troublemaking road warriors, and in 1981 made the term hardcore their own, pushing it into the common vernacular."

Northern Avenger will travel back to D.O.A.'s beginnings, before the band influenced the future of music like Green Day, Nirvana and Offspring.

The album is available for streaming at http://pscomputing.ca/streaming.