Tuesday, September 20, 2005

myMid-Week MP3

The Mooney Suzuki has made a name for itself by systematic implementation of three key elements – a dynamic pair of core members (Sammy James Junior and Graham Tyler) who power the band despite some rotation of other members, relentless touring punctuated by powerfully frenetic live shows, and a sound that is pure garage rock.

The band remained true to their sound, even with their 2002 Columbia Records debut, Electric Sweat. And, while they never quite made the jump to the mainstream, energetic live performances on several late-night network talk shows and the breakthrough video for the Electric Sweat track "In A Young Man's Mind" (which made a fair turn on MTV2) served to catapult the band ever closer.

Sadly, the band was dropped as a result of the Sony-BMG merger, and found themselves without a label for a time. However, the resourceful boys of The Mooney Suzuki survived by embracing the very media that so many other garage bands revile. Their music popped up in everything from ads to TV shows to movies (as The Mooney Suzuki composed the title song for the Jack Black comedy School of Rock), and this helped them weather the storm until Richard Branson's V2 Records stepped in to give the band a new home.

In an interesting turn, the band’s newest album Alive & Amplified is a departure from the minimalist, stripped down sound that fans have come to expect from The Mooney Suzuki. And while fan response has run the gamut, one thing is perfectly clear – the spirit of the band remains as strong as ever.

This weeks’ track is the title song from 02’s Electric Sweat. It, as well as the new record and several previous releases are still available for purchase.

1modernboy humbly requests that you use these MP3s solely as a means of evaluation. If you like what you hear, please buy records, CDs, t-shirts, or other merchandise to support this band/artist and his/her/their label-mates. Seeing them live probably wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Should the features artist, or the related label or distributor take issue with my inclusion of the song file, please don’t hesitate to contact me, so that the offending file can be removed.

The Mooney Suzuki -- Electric Sweat

I Trod on Lego

If you’re into the funnay, and I know you are, then you should be reading Scary Go Round. It is a Monday-Friday Web comic by a dapper English gent name of John Allison. The lines are clean and the colors vibrant, the plots convoluted and implausible, and the characters dreadfully self-absorbed – in short, it’s the perfect addition to your daily online constitutional!

Monday, September 19, 2005

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Ahoy you scurvy rat-bastards, today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! In addition to being a celebration of all things piratical, it also be the most sacred and hallowed of days to those of us who count themselves among the blessed.