PORTISHEAD - 'Magic Doors'

Another trippy new video from Portishead, who in my book get Comeback of the Year. "Magic Doors" is the 3rd single and video taken from the album Third, one of my favorite LP's of 2008.

Tuesday Throwback - ALTHEA AND DONNA

So, I'm a little bored with new music this month. Sure, there are new releases by Kanye West, Coldplay, and the dreaded surfacing of the now infamous new Guns 'N' Roses album. I could care less. It's times like these that send me back to the forgotten moments in music.

Althea and Donna were a teenage Jamaican duo who surprised everyone with their infectious 1978 reggae hit "Uptown Top Ranking". Not only is the track irresistible, but the entire album (their only release) is well worth exploring.  Tracks like "No More Fightng" and "The West" are so timeless, it's kind of crazy.  And I usually don't gravitate towards reggae at all.

I'm about to catch a plane, en route for Thanksgiving holiday, so I'm especially in the mood for the escapist, smooth vocals and beats that Althea and Donna offered. Perfect for relaxing on a beach anywhere, or snuggled up close to a fire sipping whiskey. We all need a little holiday. Enjoy.

You can get the full album here.

I Woke Up and It Was 1994...

Maybe it's just me, but these videos by Jay Reatard and Marnie Stern take me back to when Beck's "Loser" was the hottest shit on earth. While these tracks are awesome, they seem to foreshadow a new retro renaissance, one that I wasn't exactly expecting.

JAY REATARD



Jay Reatard - See/Saw


MARNIE STERN



Marnie Stern - Ruler


Marnie Stern - Transformer (mp3) (via Kill Rock Stars).

Compare these to this...

Beck - Loser
Uploaded by Beck-Official

New VIVIAN GIRLS - "Blind Spot"

Vivian Girls are self-releasing the new Surf's Up 12" via their website. The one-off single includes the title track, as well as a cover of The Beach Boys' "Girl Don't Tell Me". But that's not all. If you purchase the record online, you also get a t-shirt, two postcards and a button, all part of the Surf's Up Funpack. Get yours here.


As well, Vivian Girls offer the new track "Blind Spot" as a free download. Here you go...

Vivian Girls - Blind Spot (mp3)
Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To (mp3)

New RADIOHEAD Video - 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'

Tobias Stretch was the grand prize winner of Radiohead's animated video contest. As the winner, Stretch was given $10,000 to complete his vision for "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi". New videos for tracks "15 Step" and "Videotape" are also set to premiere later this week.

Radiohead - Weird Fishes - by Tobias Stretch

Radiohead will return to the road in March 2009, with preliminary dates in Mexico, Chile, and Brazil.

GRACE JONES - Hurricane

Like Halley's Comet, that crazy, disco-reggae queen from outerspace has finally returned and I have to tell you, I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. Hurricane is Grace Jones' first proper album since 1989's Bulletproof Heart. Not only does the new album maintain Jones' dynamic art-disco sensibilities, but it actually sounds remarkably fresh when compared with many original releases by younger artists today. I'm certainly not alone in my love of Hurricane, as Pitchfork just bestowed a 7.5 rating for the new album, describing it as, "Jones taking charge as one-woman wrecking crew but, more surprisingly, occasionally ratcheting things down to an introspective and intimate level as well."

With a little help from Tricky, Brian Eno, and Sly & Robbie, Hurricane is a hugely rewarding listen, particularly for Grace Jones fans. But with all the production wizardry present on the disc, it is Jones who is unmistakably perched in the driver's seat. On the stand out track "Williams' Blood" Jones sings of her family heritage over a grinding, dramatic beat. The track has an epic feel, but also comes off as sexy and soulful, a combination that perfectly marks the return of a true artist.

Hurricane is available now as an import in the US. You can get it here.

BEACH HOUSE - "Used to Be"

Last month, Beach House released a one-off 7" of the track "Used to Be", backed with an early 4-track recording of "Apple Orchard". Now the single has a video to accompany it, shot in the desert outside Los Angeles and directed by Matt Amato. "Used to Be" follows up the Devotion LP, which was released last February and still remains one of my favorite albums of the year.

Beach House have announced a number of west coast dates with The Walkmen in January and will play some east coast dates of their own in December.

Dec. 06 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts*
Dec. 09 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Dec. 10 Providence, RI Club Hell #
Dec. 11 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall #
Dec. 12 Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts #
Jan. 19 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern*
Jan. 20 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda*
Jan. 21 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore*
Jan. 23 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom*
Jan. 24 Seattle, WA Neumos*

* = w/ The Walkmen
# = w/ Tickley Feather

Wish I Lived in Australia

Modular Records, the home to luminaries such as Avalanches, The Presets, Cut Copy. New Young Pony Club, Klaxons, Van She, Ladyhawke and more, turns 10! This is going to be amazing. I kind of really do wish I lived in Australia. The event plays Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in December. Tickets are almost sold out, so Australians get with it and get your tix now!

"NEVEREVERLAND is the musical wet dream Australia this December to celebrate Modular notching up double digits and turning ten. With The mighty, mighty Presets, the neo-awesome knights Klaxons, latte legends Cut Copy, DFA darlings Hercules And Love Affair and the rest of the completely bonkers line-up, NEVEREVERLAND will whisk you to a place beyond your brain’s limits, where the inescapable aural ecstasy is unimaginable."

Vote for The Sky Report!

Hey guys, so The Sky Report just turned 2 years old!!! Wow! And it would be so great if you would give us the gift of a nomination for Best Music Blog at the 2008 Weblog Awards. To nominate us, go here and post a comment about The Sky Report. Be sure to include our name (The Sky Report) and web address (http://theskyreport.blogspot.com). And if you're still in the mood, give a thumbs up to any other comment about The Sky Report. It just takes a couple minutes and you can do it anonymously. Any awards or nominations do great things for us staying alive another year. 

The forum closes very soon and we are already very far behind, so please...if you're gonna do it, do it now.

Thanks so much in advance,
Scot

BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH - Slow Burning Lights

San Francisco's Blue Sky Black Death have established an ever-growing underground following with their cutting edge hip-hop production skills and a series of recent albums and collaborations with Jean Grae, Holocaust, and Hieroglyphics to name just a few. Now, the duo of Kingston and Young God have made the bold move of recording a lo-fi, modern day trip-hop album with stunning new female vocalist Yes Alexander of The Casual Lust. Alexander's haunting vocals mesh brilliantly with BSBD's production, resulting in an unexpectedly refreshing album that I will definitely have on heavy rotation for some time.

Slow Burning Lights was released this week on Babygrande Records. You can buy it here.

Check out the tracks "Secrets" and "The Darkest Time"...