This Week's New Releases

Here's the roundup of this week's new music releases...

Athlete - Beyond the Neighbourhood (Astralwerks)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I hope the songs on Beyond the Neighbourhood have that same kind of emotional integrity, things that we genuinely chat about and think about. That’s why it’s called Beyond the Neighbourhood.... It just has a lot of humanity to it, with questions, confusion and uncertainties, but it’s still uplifting and has a lot of hope in there." - Tim Wanstall, Athlete [Source: Subba-Cultcha]

Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (Beggars/XL)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Every time I'm in a new place I have a whole new set of influences and inspirations, so it always comes out differently. The themes of life are always changing. The sun and the moon – they look the same all the time, but they're always changing, and they're not going to be there forever. So here, I think we just had to honour each moment." - Devendra Banhart [Source: Uncut]

The Bird and The Bee - Please Clap Your Hands (Blue Note)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The Bird & The Bee evokes 1960s imagery with its new album, topped off with a mod fashion sensibility and an album cover to go with it.  They modernize the genre with their lyrics, which are at times cynical and sarcastic, full of female irreverence for the male counterpart." [Source: Digital Media Wire]

Michael Ian Black - I'm a Wonderful Man (Comedy Central)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The truth is I didn’t struggle, which probably isn’t what you don’t want to hear. I started this comedy group in college, and that’s pretty much all I’ve been doing since then. We worked really, really hard in college and through a series of luck and arrogance ended up with our own TV show and have kind of been going form there. I mean I shouldn’t be so flip about it. I do struggle; I struggle every day, because it’s hard to do what I do. It’s just hard work. But it doesn’t feel like a struggle, because I enjoy doing it. I would say if you want to get into comedy, just do it. That’s the nice thing about living when we live is that you have endless opportunities to create content, meaning comedy, for endless number of outlets. You can perform live, you can perform for the Internet, there’s just a million ways to go about it and no one of those ways is right and no one of those ways is wrong. You just follow your instinct and it will take you where it takes you." - Michael Ian Black [Source: Columbia Chronicle]

Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (Mute)
Buy It @ Amazon

"When I decided to stop touring, I went home in November and decided to stay home until I had the second record finished. And as soon as I started going to the studio on a daily basis, I realized why I liked music, why I liked playing music, because I almost forgot while touring as I really wasn’t writing, but more repeating the same songs over and over. It’s just a lot different creatively." - Jose Gonzalez [Source: Ground Control]

Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I am not interested in political writing, because it's limited in its scope. I try to write general, human kinds of songs, which suggest more than they explain. You can take a lot of different meanings, but hopefully everyone feels some kind of recognition. Propaganda songs are more of an essay than a poem." - Sam Beam, Iron & Wine [Source: The Independent]

matt pond PA - Last Light (Altitude)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Most of [the songs] came together last summer. An onslaught of songs. I tend to overwhelm myself with my own music." Matt Pond, matt pond PA [Source: Alankomaat]

Nellie McKay - Obligatory Villagers (Vanguard)
Buy It @ Amazon

"would always prefer to do shorter albums. I have a very short attention span. But I also don’t think an album has to work in its entirety. Why should it? Why can’t it be a collection, and you listen to what you want when you want? I guess I’m a master at sabotaging my own career—but that’s a deliberate choice." - Nellie McKay [Source: Time Out New York]

Joni Mitchell - Shine (Hear Music)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I am thrilled to be able to work with the Hear Music label on my new CD. Starbucks and Concord Music Group are joining me in releasing a project which has enabled me to appreciate what I loved about making music in the first place. I am very grateful to them." - Joni Mitchell [Source: Starpulse]

Mum - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy (Fat Cat)
Buy It @ Amazon

"In small towns, things are so simple that when we asked if there were any houses around that we could possibly borrow or hire, they just gave us the keys and the number to the security code and let us get on with it. We also recorded in two schools – one of them was a music school… Suddenly we were in this huge place surrounded by instruments. It was summer, so there weren’t any kids around, we could just do whatever we wanted." - Gunnar Örn Tynes, Mum [Source: BBC]

Office - A Night at the Ritz (Scratchie/New Line)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Mostly, I'm inspired by the weird things I see happening in the media, or the various environments and situations I'm involved with on a regular basis, outside of music." - Scott Masson, Office [Source: Lifeskool Songwriter Spotlight]

Sea Wolf - Leaves in the River (Dangerbird)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Melodic enough to break the stereotypes of acoustic guitar strumming, while distinguishing itself in catchy folk/indie tunes and fervent storytelling, Sea Wolf is in a league all of it's own." [Source: Antimusic]

Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War (Arts & Crafts)
Buy It @ Amazon

"In the writing aspect and in the performance aspect, we didn't hold ourselves back or limit ourselves in terms of our concepts." - Torquil Campbell, Stars [Source: Recoil]

Tunng - Good Arrows (Thrill Jockey)
Buy It @ Amazon

"It wasn’t like sitting in a rehearsal room and all jamming out ideas. This band has never kind of been about that. Tunng’s been about more like trying out things in the studio, writing and recording at the same time." - Mike Lindsay, Tunng [Source: Lunapark6]

Two Gallants - Two Gallants (Saddle Creek)
Buy It @ Amazon

"We never thought of it consciously like we were going to make it into a band, we just stayed up all night drinking and playing music." - Adam Stephens, Two Gallants [Source: Hofstra Chronicle]

Songwriter Spotlight: Scott Masson of Office

Not too long ago, Office was an unsigned pop rock band with lots of buzz and cute work outfits. Then in October of 2006, the Chicago fivesome got a promotion. The band got picked up by Scratchie/New Line Records and are releasing their debut full length this week called A Night at the Ritz.

All of this, of course, came with a lot of hard work and some great breaks, including a month-long, sold out residency in Chicago, a free download spot on iTunes that catapulted them into the Top 20, a slot at the Q101 stage of Lollapalooza, hot showcase performances at SXSW, as well as kudos from national press outlets like Billboard, NPR and Magnet.

I recently got to ask lead singer Scott Masson of Office about his musical inspirations... Here's what he had to say!

Favorite place to write music:
My favorite place to write music is in my bedroom, alone, in Chicago, in the summertime, with the door closed, the windows closed, cell phone turned off, computer off, at night, air conditioner spraying shitty fake air in my face, and hopefully, when my roommate is out.  Complete isolation is best situation to be in when you're writing music because there are no background noises to mess up your concentration, no human distractions, and nobody listening in to all the wrong notes and un-revised lyrics as the process unfolds.  Song-writing is like surgery.  It hurts, but it simply needs to get done well......so you really need to be kinda loud and nasty as you bang it out. 

Latest inspiration:
Mostly, I'm inspired by the weird things I see happening in the media, or the various environments and situations I'm involved with on a regular basis, outside of music.  I am incredibly competitive, and want to impress my artistic friends, so I end up working extra hard on each song or production.  That competitive nature keeps me going the most.   All of this gets sewed together with my politics, personal belief system, life experience, socialization process, spirituality, sexuality, and desires as an artist, even though I cringe at the thought of that cliche "artist" tag one wears.  It's every artist's job, however, to keep romance and awareness alive and well, so if you look around, you'll notice there is a lot of great material everywhere.  Romance comes in many shapes and sizes.  It's hiding in the gutters, and the folds of your grandmother's wrinkled skin.

What's the most personal song on your new album?
"Suburban Perfume" is the most personal song I've ever written.  The imagery is literally taken from things I've experienced in my past, or felt while growing up in a very small town outside of Detroit.  It's nostalgic, I guess.....but it can be applied to anybody's life.  It's about growing up in a weird environment, being an outcast, and losing your innocence with each passing decade.  The production needed to have a folk vibe, so that's why I used acoustic instruments.  Also....the incorporation of the mellotron was totally done on purpose.  Because that instrument is obsolete, it is naturally nostalgic.....an "old sound".  Not to mention, The Beatles used it in "Strawberry Fields Forever", which is their childhood dream song as well.  This was a nod to them. 

Much to the chagrin of people who like convoluted material, I had to be clear and honest with the lyrics of this song.  I suffered a really bad nervous breakdown in 2004, and had to move back home with my parents in Michigan, when I really should have been immersed in the city.  I wrote this song in the worst period of my life, but in a way, it was also the most humbling time of my life.  It changed my perspective forever.  I was trying to make sense out of the future with "Suburban Perfume", by writing about the past, if that makes any sense.  Because I wasn't able to stay healthy or happy, I had to go inward, and back to Milford, Michigan....where I grew up.  Writing this song seemed like the natural way of healing the mind, so yes....it's incredibly close to my heart.  Almost like musical therapy.  Some people aren't gonna like it, but it's not my job to appeal to people who are too cool for school. 

In a way, it's my belief that everyone should look back every once in awhile and remember where they came from, their family, their first brush with nature, or whatever.......so they can move forward and deal with what's happening on a day-to-day basis now.  I never write about myself, really...but this is the closest people will ever get to knowing who I really am. This song is also about delivering yourself from the past, humbling yourself, and also realizing your strengths and weaknesses.  God!  That sounds so cheese-ball, but it's totally true.  The song is dedicated to the freaks and dreamers.  The chorus was meant to communicate the notion of naïveté, which for me has real spiritual connotations.  No matter what age you're at, you don't have it figured out, nor should you ever have it all figured out.  Keeping a naive, child-like perspective in life is the most romantic and loving way to conduct the business of the day.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
Well, the friends I have are brilliant, so I'm slightly biased.  Some of my friends are complete geniuses, and I've been spoiled throughout my life because I hang out with some amazing songwriters.  I've also been fortunate enough to hang out with one of my favorite artists of all time, Ken Griffin.  I have done duets with some of these folks on random occasions, or participated on various recordings, etc.  If I were to choose somebody I haven't worked with yet, however, it would be this guy in Detroit by the name of Casimer Pascal.  His band, Pas/cal, is about to release their first LP on Le Grand Magistery.  I have a feeling it's a true work of art.  He's an intelligent composer, and a real visionary, and I've always loved what he brings to the pop music table.  We spoke recently, since we are acquaintances, and I think we plan on doing some recordings together in the near future.  He has a very similar perspective on song-oriented music, and holds the same desire of keeping high quality melody and production alive in this new monotonous millennium of ours.  Casimer does his own thing, and few people can even approach what he's doing sonically or conceptually in pop.  I want to work with him for these reasons only.  I think that we'd make some really interesting stuff together, so we'll see.  It's got to happen naturally though.  We're both very busy with our own lives and careers, so I never believe anything until it actually happens.      

If you could re-do the soundtrack to any film, what would it be?
I'd love to re-do the soundtrack for What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.  I think it's one of the most f---ed up movies I've ever seen.  It's proof that you don't need gore or computer graphics, let alone technicolor, to tell a great story that messes with people's heads.  In fact, I'm working on an epic music video/pop song right now for OFFICE called "The Face," which is directly inspired by this classic Hollywood suspense/thriller.  I've always wanted our music to sound like a black and white film, and I have yet to accomplish this feat.  Baby Jane would be a fun project to rework because it's so intense, slightly comical, disturbing, and believable at the same time.  I think if I got in a room with 20 musicians:  some horns, strings, bizarre-o percussion, theramin, vocalists........we could totally rock this soundtrack into the stratosphere.  In the meantime, I'll keep working on "The Face," and we'll go from there.  Baby Jane's soundtrack is already pretty wonderful as is.  You can't mess with something that's already perfect.

Check out Office on tour:
August 17: Brooklyn, NY: Studio B
August 18: New York, NY: Mercury Lounge
August 25: Chicago, IL: Double Door
August 28: Los Angeles, CA: Cinespace
August 30: Los Angeles, CA: Filter’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip at the Roxy
September 14: Chicago, IL: The Metro

With Earlimart:
September 27: Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
September 29: Vancouver, BC: Pit Pub
October 2: Minneapolis, MN: 400 Bar
October 4: Cleveland, OH: Grog Shop
October 5: Toronto, ON: El Mocambo
October 6: Montreal, QC: TBD
October 7: Boston, MA: Harper’s Ferry
October 11: Philadelphia, PA: Johnny Brenda’s
October 12: Baltimore, MD: Ottobar
October 13: Durham, NC: Duke Coffeehouse
October 14: Atlanta, GA: The Earl
October 15: Birmingham, AL: The Bottletree
October 16: Houston, TX: Mink
October 17: Austin, TX: The Mohawk
October 18: Dallas, TX: The Palladium Loft
October 20: Denver, CO: Larimer Lounge
October 22: Phoenix, AZ: Paper Heart Venue
October 23: San Diego, CA: The Casbah

** Check out Office's official website.

** Listen to songs on MySpace.

** Watch the music video for "Oh My" on YouTube:

Music Biz Buzz

Here's what's buzzing in the music biz this week...

A study from the American Media Services finds that radio listenership is still strong even with heavy competition from iPods, satellite radio and other media sources. [Source: FMQB]

Digital sales have not yet filled the gap of decreasing physical CD sales, and labels are suffering. What's new? [Source: Digital Music News]

At the Popkomm conference in Berlin, keynote speaker Mike Batt of Dramatico Entertainment called for an alliance between indie and major labels. [Source: Billboard]

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame finally finds a home on Music Row. [Source: Yahoo! Music]

Zune lowered their prices yet again -- now they only cost $130 for 30GB! [Source: Engadget]

Dave Grohl says he and Krist Novoselic are as important to Nirvana as Kurt Cobain. [Source: NME]

This Week's New Releases

Here's the roundup of this week's new music releases...

Akron/Family - Love Is Simple (Young God)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Love Is Simple, the second full-length from the Brooklyn-based gypsy caravan known as Akron/Family, is a spirited, transcendental expedition into layers of unconventional sound combinations, both curious and stimulating." [Source: Prefix]

James Blunt - All the Lost Souls (Atlantic)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I didn't have to do a second album that was going to compete with the first, because at the end of the day, to try and chase the number of albums the first one sold — if that's how you define success — is pointless. And to try and get reviews that are positive, against those that are negative, again, it's pointless. So when you let go of all those things, you say, 'Well, I'm going to do a second album purely for the love of it, and for the passion I have for music.' And that's the best place to be, really." - James Blunt [Source: MTV]

Ben Lee - Ripe (New West)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I never quite know why things make the cut; it seems so quite haphazard. And yes, you're right, there is a lot of sex on the record. I'm interested in sex the same way I am interested in spirituality and emotions and the way they function in life. I don't come to any real conclusions, it's just there. Maybe it's about the timing being right." - Ben Lee [Source: The Daily Telegraph]

Lets Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Can it really be six years since the last proper Les Savy Fav LP? They’ve kept us so satiated with the brilliant singles that eventually became Inches and their spasms of ferocious touring, we hardly noticed. Let’s Stay Friends was worth the wait, and the art-punk quartet has created perhaps their most mature music to date." [Source: Alarm]

Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace)
Buy It @ Amazon

"[The solo albums are] more personally naked because I know that [the solo albums] are not a shared game. I don't ever want people to say, 'Oh, there's Thurston singing his song with Sonic Youth.' And I don't think people ever get that impression. I consciously, at some point in the '80s, decided to put myself on the side of the stage, instead of in the middle. Because I never wanted to be the focal point. I tend to be the focal point anyway, because I'm, you know, whatever." - Thurston Moore [Source: Spin]

Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate (Brushfire)
Buy It @ Amazon

"It felt like a very urgent record to me. I mean, there’s some quiet, restrained moments, but there’s also some moments of fury. It’s a sign of the times, too, but it’s also just our personal lives and kinda feeling like, 'We survived! We made it! We’re still here!'" - Zach "Rogue" Schwartz [Source: Under the Radar]

Songwriter Spotlight: Christopher Denny

The first time I heard Christopher Denny, his voice brought me to another era, to an old country western where harmonicas and finger pickin' marked the passage of time. Life was in a sepia tone, and I was tapping my foot on the ground in slow motion.

Denny's brand of compelling indie country really puts the spotlight on his storytelling skills whether he's singing about gypsies turning carpenters, journeys through time or lost loves. He recently released his debut album, Age Old Hunger, on 00:02:59 records and plays live with his band The Old Soles. That's an appropriate name for the band as his music often feels as comforting as your favorite pair of old shoes. Try him on for size and see if you like.

I recently talked to Denny about his current inspirations...

Favorite place to write music: The most important thing to me is to never confine myself concerning my music. I love to write when the spirit hits me and when life and the emotion and thought caused by it make it necessary.

Latest inspiration: My latest inspiration is unconditional love. I am inspired by my recent discoveries concerning love and creativity. I have recently wed my good friend Mary Catherine Ferguson and am inspired by her great love and its effects on my creativity.

What's the most personal song on your latest album?
"Age Old Hunger" is the most personal because it was written for humanity, and I believe we are all one. 

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be?
Willie Nelson... He is my musical and spiritual hero... a true inspiration and example of talent and musical power used correctly.

If you could re-do the soundtrack to any film, what would it be and why?
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. Although it is my favorite soundtrack ever, I would love to have heard Johnny Cash humming and singing those tunes along with Dylan.

** Visit Christopher Denny's official website.

** Listen to songs on MySpace.

** Check out a live clip of Christopher Denny on YouTube below...

This Week's New Releases

Here's the roundup of this week's new music releases...

50 Cent - Curtis (Aftermath)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Look at how you're talking to me, like Kanye West is my equal right now. That's like me putting myself against Michael Jackson's [album-release] date and then acting like, 'Woah, it's a battle between 50 Cent and Michael Jackson! when Thriller sold 30 million records and 50 Cent's biggest album sold 12 [million], you feel what I'm saying? Don't get lost in the hype. I got the right records, so we're gonna sit here and I'll see you next time. Maybe next time they can send me off to the pastures. But right now, I'm gonna stick around and sell this record — and I will be #1 on September 11." - 50 Cent [Source: MTV]

Ani DiFranco - Canon (Righteous Babe)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I really feel like I've only begun to make records I can stand behind for years to come. It's such an elusive process making good recordings, but I think having a little more experience and perspective has helped me start to get there. My ongoing mission at this point is to retain my joy and gratitude no matter what else is happening. I always want to feel happy when I get up on that stage." - Ani DiFranco [Source: Billboard]

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I guess I'd expect to feel a whole lot more pressure, but I don't, really. Definitely with the record that's about to come out [Strawberry Jam], I think we all wanted to make a record that [the label was] happy about, that they were excited about, to make them feel like they'd made a good decision. But we always put a whole lot of pressure on ourselves. But I couldn't say that this growing amount of people paying attention to the music has changed the way we do things all that much, at least not in a way that I'm aware of." - Noah Lennox, Animal Collective [Source: Pitchfork]

Black Francis - Bluefinger (Cooking Vinyl)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The umpteenth solo record by the former Pixie, this time using his more raucous alter ego, is inspired by the life of the now-forgotten Dutch rock singer and junkie Herman Brood. The bracing Captain Pasty and a version of Brood’s You Can’t Break a Heart and Have It are undeniably powerful, but too often Black Francis is beginning to resemble Lou Reed, another persistent talent whose best work was his earliest." [Source: Times Online]

Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
Buy It @ Amazon

"[Flower Punk.]Yeah, Cole came up with it. No, Ian did. It’s just something I kind of...people always ask what your sound is and I’m sick of seeing like rock. It’s a lot better to just make up your own thing. We like polar opposites so it’s like we don’t want to be too macho because we’re not, so it’s like tough stuff mixed with wimpy stuff." - The Black Lips [Source: LiveDaily]

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True - Deluxe Edition (Hip-O)
Buy It @ Amazon

"It wasn't really my initiative. It doesn't require a huge amount of soul-searching to do it. You're trying to make a program that might interest people who've never heard you before. It's another way to present it that's neither superior or inferior; it's just different." - Elvis Costello [Source: Billboard]

The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (Sub Pop)
Buy It @ Amazon

"I don’t know if it’s that happy. Ian is more into the aggressive side of it. He didn’t make it to be happy music. It’s kind of carefree but he didn’t mean it to be that way. He just likes the sound of a group of girls shouting." - Ninja, The Go! Team [Source: The London Paper]

Grey's Anatomy Original Soundtrack 3 - Various Artists (Hollywood)
Buy It @ Amazon

As with the previous two volumes, the album's tracks were chosen by the show's creator and executive producer, Shonda Rhimes and executive producer Betsy Beers from a large pool of artists introduced to them by music supervisor Alex Patsavas." Note that previous Lifeskool Songwriter Spotlight, The Jealous Girlfriends, have a song featured on the soundtrack... [Source: IGN]

Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd. (Reprise)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The songs ended up having a lot more depth than anything we had written before, the stuff I was singing about, the sounds that we were getting. We ended up pushing it in a direction that's still really high energy, but it's more of a nighttime feel." - Steve Bays, Hot Hot Heat [Source: NME]

Kanye West - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella)
Buy It @ Amazon

"People either hate me or they love me, because I say what I feel." - Kanye West [Source: Chicago Tribune]

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs (Touch & Go)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The songs are beautiful and sweet, indie guitar rock at its best. At moments the music moves into funk-like grooves or hard rock riff mode, but just when it seems to be crescendoing into the sort of exultant or ecstatic rock hook we’ve all heard so much, the song pulls back into itself and the listener is once again washed over by lethargic undertones." [Source: Impose]

Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills (Merge)
Buy It @ Amazon

"It's been a while since we've recorded the first one. So we've grown and developed. I guess our producer Björn (Yttling, of Peter Bjorn and John) has a big part in it as well. I really like the way he records drums. He takes away things more than adding things. And we picked a lot of guitars for instance and added more rhythmic instruments. Those are all big parts why we sound different." - Carl von Arbin, Shout Out Louds [Source: It's a Trap!]

Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Attack Decay Sustain Release allows us sun kissed indie heads to dabble in the dark side, getting that weekend vibe before going to the pub to continue the Kings of Leon debate, head back home at closing time and maybe come down with a bit of Neil Young’s Harvest." [Source: Chimpomatic]

Songwriter Spotlight: Calvin Harris

Scottish producer and artist Calvin Harris seems to have all the bravado needed to be an 80s-born superstar. His debut album is boldly and facetiously declared I Created Disco. His lead single claims he's got all "The Girls." One girl in particular -- Calvin recently worked with dance floor queen Kylie Minogue on her post-breast cancer comeback, and the two were romantically linked for a while as well.

His album, released last week on Almost Gold Recordings in the U.S., is a dance record full of homages to the wacky and sometimes tacky era of the 80s. It's crazy to think that the 80s are now considered vintage, but Calvin has managed to bring the fun back in music. "My tunes aren't supposed to invoke deep thought within people," he said. "They're just to get you dancing." His songs have also earned him a "Best Electronic Artist" nomination at the BT Digital Music Awards.

"Musically, it is for the brain - it's not music for stupid people," he said. Last year, Calvin's music caught the attention of EMI Music Publishing, who signed him after discovering his music on MySpace. The rest is history in the making. I recently quizzed Calvin Harris on his latest inspirations...

Favorite place to write music: I like writing music in the middle of a field. I have a favourite field I go to and sit with a paintbrush and canvas and sketch rhythms.

Latest inspiration: I've been taking a lot of inspiration from food recently, particularly my favourite chocolate bar which is called a Dairy Milk. I always aim to make music as creamy and tasty as said chocolate bar.

What's the most personal song on your new album?
The most personal song is probably "Acceptable in the 80s," as it is about the time of my entry into the universe, which was a very beautiful thing for everybody involved, particularly the doctors.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
I would love to do a big ballad with either Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera. I think it would be a very special record indeed.

If you could re-do the soundtrack to any film, what would it be?
I would re-record the soundtrack to Finding Nemo in the style of old school funk, like Rick James. I think it would suit the film better.

** Visit Calvin Harris' official website.

** Listen to music on his MySpace.

** Watch the music video for "The Girls" on YouTube below:

Music Biz Buzz

Here's what's buzzing in the music biz this week...

• Everyone who bought iPhones two months ago is having an uproar now at the $200 drop in price. Apple responded to the angry reactions with a $100 credit to customers who bought the phone when it first came out. [Source: Digital Music News]

• In other Apple-related news, Starbucks and iTunes are joining forces. You can connect to iTunes from your iPhone, iPod Touch or laptop from any Starbucks. Users will also be able to purchase from iTunes whatever song is currently playing in the Starbucks. Hopefully they will begin playing some more indie music in Starbucks. [Source: CMJ]

• After Universal acquired the Sanctuary Group in a deal last month, Sanctuary's UK label will be no more, instead focusing on merchandising, catalog and the management business. [Source: FMQB]

• China is where its at for the 2008 Midem Festival, citing a growing interest in the country towards mobile-delivered music. This comes after the country got much negative attention for illegal downloading music via the Chinese-language search engine Baidu.com. Perhaps Midem is looking towards educating China on the value of intellectual property? [Source: Billboard]

• I can see it now... Instead of The Wiz (my second mention of this musical this week), it's The Moz! The Musical! Yes, folks, you heard right. There is a musical in works based on Morrissey songs (no indication yet whether it also includes any Smiths catalog, but I sure hope so!). Even better, it was conceived by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, stars of the Comedy Central hit Reno 911 and the writers behind Night at the Museum and Balls of Fury. Oh, boy, it's gonna be a doozy. [Source: Yahoo! Music]

• Blur's Parklife demos have surfaced online for free (illegal?) downloading. Yes, it's from a blog... specifically one called Dead Flowers. Oh how we miss Damon and the boys. But at least sources lead us to believe the band is back together now (with Graham Coxon, even) to record another studio album this fall. [Source: NME]

This Week's New Releases

Here's the roundup of this week's new music releases...

Calvin Harris - I Created Disco (Almost Gold)
Buy It @ Amazon

"It’s not actually a very disco-y record, which is just the way it goes. It’s just the title for one of the tracks on the album which involves a man telling everyone how he created disco just before the first world war. Which is, of course, all nonsense. So I thought that would be a good album title." - Calvin Harris [Source: Crossfire]

Clare & The Reasons - The Movie (Frog Stand)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Clare Muldaur Manchon has an impressive vocal range. Her tone, at times, reminds me of that feisty blonde from The Cardigans. But with a more classical back up band. And yes she is the daughter of musician Muldaur." [Source: The Late Greats]

Ferraby Lionheart - Catch the Brass Ring (Nettwerk)
Buy It @ Insound

"I usually just write in my house. Sometimes I'll write lyrics in the subway. The train can take a while in L.A., and so there's a bit of extra time." - Ferraby Lionheart [Source: Lifeskool Songwriter Spotlight]

Guilt By Association - Various Artists (Engine Room)
Buy It @ Insound

"As a concept, the “guilty pleasure song” seems rather old-fashioned: a relic from a time when music listeners were less promiscuous with genres, when rock fans in particular had clear mental dividing lines about what was “real music." [Source: PopMatters]

Heavy Trash - Going Way Out With Heavy Trash (Yep Roc)
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"Both of us really liked Rockabilly and American Roots music. But we sort of stayed away from codifying it for a good long time. So the record was virtually done by the time we were like 'Oh, I guess this is an album here.' I think that helped us to keep things very informal and so the writing and recording process was extremely organic and easy-going. I think it contributed to the vibe of the record." - Matt Verta-Ray, Heavy Trash [Source: Blues In London]

The Perishers - Victorious (Nettwerk)
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"With a good mix of the sanguine and the somber, the record is a journey of good days and bad, love gained and lost, everything in between and then back again. It's this contrast of subject matter and emotional content that makes the album work on so many levels. More importantly, arguably, the songs are gorgeously lush, catchy, and memorable." [Source: Exitfare]

Songwriter Spotlight: Ferraby Lionheart

At first, the name Ferraby Lionheart evokes images of The Wiz -- the Tin Man seeking a heart and the Lion looking for inner courage. Of course, the poetic reality is that Ferraby Lionheart is neither a Tin Man nor a Lion (though he does resemble a refined scarecrow), and he sure ain't no Wizard of Oz. He's a singer-songwriter from Nashville who moved to the city hills of Los Angeles in search of a different kind of soul -- a music career.

Somewhere beyond the mighty Hollywood sign, Ferraby found what he was looking for when he fronted the band Telecast and caught the eye of super-producer Jon Brion. From there, Ferraby ventured on his own, self-releasing a solo, self-titled EP All of the buzz led this indie folk singer to a deal with Nettwerk, releasing this week his debut LP, Catch the Brass Ring.

I asked Ferraby about his current inspirations...

Favorite place to write music: I usually just write in my house. Sometimes I'll write lyrics in the subway. The train can take a while in L.A., and so there's a bit of extra time. I stayed at this wonderful old hotel in Tucson while on tour, and I heard that Jeff Tweedy likes to go there to write, but I've never done anything fancy like that. I don't think I can afford it.

Latest inspiration: I get inspired by little stuff all the time. I was trying to keep this fern alive in my kitchen. I kinda want to make a song about that. I might make a song about this antique shop I know. I like the idea of antiques being gathered from different times and places and sitting in a new shop, waiting to be discovered by someone new, someone that loves them enough to take them home.

What's the most personal song on your latest album?
Some of the songs I write are based on personal feelings or experience and some are not. "Vermont Avenue" is about me and my best friend, when we lived off the same street here in Los Angeles and the fond memory of
being poor.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
Dolly Parton. I think it would be beautiful.

If you could fall asleep to any song, what would it be?
Once I fell asleep to Chopin - Nocturne Op.9, No.2.

Upcoming Tour Dates w/ The Brunettes
September 5 - Media Club (Vancouver, BC)
September 6 - Crocodile Cafe (Seattle, WA)
September 8 - Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR)
September 11 - Cafe Du Nord (San Francisco, CA)
September 12 - Kuumbwa Jazz Center (Santa Cruz, CA)
September 13 - Troubadour (Los Angeles, CA)
September 14 - Casbah (San Diego, CA)
September 15 - Solar Culture (Tucson, AZ)       
September 18 - Emo's (Austin, TX)
September 19 - Hailey's (Denton, TX)
September 20 - Opolis (Norman, OK)
September 21 - Record Bar (Kansas City, MO)
September 22 - Slowdown (Omaha, NE)
September 24 - 400 Bar (Minneapolis, MN)
September 25 - High noon (Madison, WI)      
September 26 - Schubas (Chicago, IL)      
September 27 - Shelter (Detroit, MI)
September 28 - Horseshoe (Toronto, ON)
September 29 - Petit Campus (Montreal, QB)      
October 1 - Middle East (Cambridge, MA)    
October 3 - Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ)
October 4 - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA)
October 5 - Rock and Roll Hotel (Washington, DC)   
October 7 - Local 506 (Chapel Hill, NC)   
October 8 - TBA (Louisville, KY)   
October 9 - The Earl (Atlanta, GA)
October 10 - Tasty World (Athens, GA)
October 11 - Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN)
October 12 - Thirsty Hippo (Hattiesburg, MS)
October 13 - TBA (New Orleans, LA)   

** Check out Ferraby Lionheart's official website.

** Listen to music on MySpace.

** Check out the music video for "Crack In Time" on YouTube below: