Quruli is putting together its first best-of album for a July 26 release, so says Bounce.com. The two-disc Best of Quruli Tower of Music Lover contains all 17 of the band’s singles, plus a number of remixes and soundtrack contributions. Some of the extra tracks include "Iede Musume", the theme song to the film Realism no Yado, the popular b-side "Harukaze", the Rip Slyme collaboration "Night Rider", and new mixes of "Suichuu Motor" and "Revolver".
A special limited edition pressing includes a third disc of demos and rare tracks from Team Rock, Antenna and Nikki.
The only album I’m missing from my Quruli collection is Zukan, but even the extras on this compilation makes me want to make my collection redundant.
For all the accolades Antony and the Johnsons have garnered since releasing I Am a Bird Now, it’s very clear the band is an acquired taste.
Antony’s androgynous voice is disarming. I’m as open-minded to disarming voices as the next hipster, but even I had to adjust to his husky tremble.
But that disarmingness is seductive, just as his intimate music.
Continue reading »
I’ve gone on record a number of times with my terrible presumption about rock music by gay musicians. Simply put, lesbians have all the good rock bands.
The gay male stereotype is rooted in fabulousness, and the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Elton John and the gay contingent of Scissor Sisters are nothing if not fabulous.
So the nitty-gritty of rock ‘n’ roll is best handled by lesbians — the Butchies, Le Tigre, portions of Sleater-Kinney and Luscious Jackson. The most visible gay male rockers are the guys in Pansy Division, but some of their stuff gets perilously close to the Dead Milkmen.
Thank diety for Ex-Boyfriends. The 2/3-gay trio gets tagged as emo, but these guys rock hard, and their songwriting is biting and smart.
Continue reading »
Being called the "boy Tori Amos" is not an endorsement in my book.
I haven’t yet figured out the generational cut-off date that separates Kate Bush fans from Tori Amos fans, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere close to my birthyear, 1972. I am squarely a Kate Bush fan, and I easily dismiss Tori Amos as a cheap knock-off.
So while being compared to Amos gets immediate demerits from my perspective, I can’t actually say I’ve listened to her thoroughly. (Just enough to go running back to Kate.) That ignorance works in Sacha Sacket’s favor.
Continue reading »
I don’t think I’m going to be objective with this review.
Dylan Rice was listed in the Advocate’s Top 10 Indie Artists of 2005, and when I went to his official web site, I immediately thought, "Wow. He’s cute." Then I played an MP3 sample of his music, and I thought, "Wow. He can sing.". Then I downloaded his debut album Wandering Eyes from eMusic, and I thought, "Wow. He can write."
Man, if there were ever a turn-on for me …
Continue reading »