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Satoru just released his CD, Ash Returns to Ash on September 18th, but according to his last news posting (dated August 3), he's already confirmed a second album Balancing in the Twilight to be released very soon in October! His myspace is probably more current, and lists the sophomore album to be released in November. Before I begin telling you about Satoru, I should point out that he license his work as Creative Commons, which means anyone can copy, distribute and transmit the work, as long as you give credit and attribution for noncommercial usage. This is pretty awesome, I think more artists should release their music via Creative Commons.

"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" was written by Bruce Springsteen for his 1973 album The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle. "The choir is really one female singer with lots of overdubs. Springsteen wanted to use a children's choir, but ended up using Suki Lahav. She played with the band from September 1974 - March 1975, but was not credited on the album." (songfacts.com). The English band The Hollies covered the song which appeared on their Super Hits album.

Nicole Atkins & The Sea, from New Jersey, played their last show with The Raveonettes in Minneapolis. They're heading to play on Late Night with David Letterman on October 30th (the same date as her Neptune City CD release), so you can what kind of understand her commercial appeal she has.

Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her music blends rock, country, pop, folk, and blues into one mainstream sound, and she has won nine Grammy Awards.

As the temperamental music scene continues to waver between tradition and the avant garde, with the new kids on the block straining the boundaries of convention while their predecessors desperately attempt to stay relevant, it’s refreshing to listen to an album that embraces the poignancy of music-making. Megan Hickey, of Brooklyn-based The Last Town Chorus, intuits an organic approach to her craft, proving that simplicity is often more complex than a twelve-member electro-orchestra of distorted noise. On Wire Waltz, Hickey and co. deftly construct an atmospheric backdrop that invokes a kind of agrarian mystery—at once peaceful and shattering. Hickey’s voice swells with the calculated pace of someone who’s actually lived life (as opposed to those who think about life). This is as much music for the world-weary layman as it is for the New York hipsters that will certainly be attracted.

I picked up this CD purely based on the album packaging. Let me explain it to you: There are some die-cut holes on the sleeve that changes depending on how you insert the interior sheet and CD cover. If you click on the album art displayed here, the two eyes are the die-cut holes. I had no idea who MSTRKRFT were, but I figure the cover art and sleeve was cool enough that I was willing to give them a chance. I was a little relieved that this band was actually pretty good. If you like rave/dance stuff, you'll probably enjoy this. There's a couple of strong tracks on this album: "Work on You", "She's Good for Business", and "The Looks". "The Looks" seems to be the most commercially accessible of all the tracks, so I'll include the song here. It does get a bit repetitive, but I figure if you're on the dancefloor, you probably won't care.

From Glasgow, Scotland, is Snow Patrol. I first heard of them through Belle & Sebastian's UK record label, Jeepster Records. They left that label for their third album (which proved a massive hit for them) Final Straw. My favorite Snow Patrol song has got to be "Run", which is the strongest song on Final Straw. Whenever this song is done live, Gary Lightbody's heavy Scottish accent really shines through. You can find the live version on Live Lounge, or if you live in the US, you can find an exclusive EP from Park Ave CDs in Orlando, Florida.

Okay, so not "Ben Folds Five" but rather Ben Folds (lower left picture on the album) specifically. This guy has got to be one of the most underrated musicians out there. He can't read music and has never been formally trained, but is one of the most phenomenal rock piano players I've heard. Piano is his instrument of choice, but when he and Ben Folds Five parted ways, he played guitar, drums, and bass as well as piano for his first solo album. Not spectacular at any of the three but, gosh, certainly good enough to put a solid studio player through their paces. His music genre is as broad as it is deep, and his story-telling lyrics take you to a completely different setting with each track. From a guy who took an acid trip and woke up in a tree to become a born-again Christian (no, seriously) to a senile woman waiting for her long lost love to a guy hopelessly in love with a woman struck with depression. My husband, Andy, and I see the guy live every chance we get because his tickets are still reasonable, and the show never, ever disappoints. I highly recommend you see him, or at least pick up an album (any album) if you get the chance.

Alison Sudol, the lead singer of A Fine Frenzy, has a voice. She fills the album with a warm and sultry voice. She reminds me of Brandi Carlile. But great vocals don't cut it. Some of their songs have interesting openings, but they always degrade into repetitive themes.

This is from the Anniversary Edition of their debut album. The second disc includes some rare mixes and music videos - and Ian Brown dancing like a monkey. I believe all the music tracks were "remastered" so if you have canine hearing ability, you'd probably notice how crisp and clean everything sounds. Personally I can't tell the difference as I'm old and I'm just thankful to hear anything at all. Anyway, what I don't like about the anniversary edition is that they mix up the track listing. I'm so used to listening to the original album, in that original order that throwing it in different order just mess me up! Boo to the track rearranger.

Pink Floyd

In light of today being International Bloggers' Day for Burma (10/4) (not sure why it's on a lame Thursday?) and tomorrow being National Campus Day of Action for Burma (10/5) and Saturday, being International Day of Action for a Free Burma (10/6), I will be shifting focus today on musicians trying to change the world through their influence and music.

Recently a truck load of albums with a similar setup to this one have been released sans the political campaign. The list includes albums covering the songs of the likes of Joni Mitchell, the Beach Boys, Leonard Cohen and Daniel Johnston. All of them featured some musical gems and some all out failures. With that in mind, this album is surprisingly good. It is designed to cater to the masses but that doesn't stop it containing some interesting takes on the back catalogue of John Lennon. Even if you couldn't give a damn about Darfur, this album is still a great purchase. Even better for those of you looking to gain some redemption for a life timing of sinning then this is guaranteed to give you some instant good karma (Sorry, I couldn't resist). Seriously though, the situation in Dafur is fucked up and completely preventable. If you do one thing today, check out the Instant Karma website for advice on how you can help with the campaign

Austin Leeds - I Can't Get Away from weheartmusic.vox.com Austin Leeds is the kind of guy that is likely to drag you into his studio to get your opinion on his next track, always striving to improve and innovate. And with the release of DIRTY SOUND VOLUME 2 - LOVE MACHINE, he has done just that, inviting the whole world into that studio to share in this amazing and incomparable recording. It's an invitation that will be readily accepted and revered, as Austin Leeds is quickly establishing himself a unique and innovative studio tactician.

Let's face it: if you ever liked "Rapture", this is the collection for you. It collects all the hard-to-find and rare remixes of the song (from b-sides of 12" and from various compilations) so you don't have to work at finding them all - it's all right here on two CDs.

Elliott Smith

Daft Punk's Alive 2007 album was released domestically, from Virgin Records, last month (December 4th), although it was available to Europe in November. Since we've previously mentioned them a few times now (see Further Reading), I'll only talk about this album. This is their official second live album (their previous live album is called Alive 1997) and was recorded at Bercy in Paris, France (June 14, 2007). Tracklisting Tracklisting Looking at the tracklisting on the CD, you'd think that over 20 tracks, but in reality there's only 12 songs. All of the 12 songs are medley of their best house mix, including: "Da Funk" with "Daftendirekt", "Touch It" with "Technologic", etc. My favorite is the irresistible "Around The World" with "Harder Better Faster Stronger". Listen as you hear the crowd cheer when the familar "Around the World" beats in. To read about the origin of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", I suggest you check out my previous article: Daft Hands.

Ladytron

Though the space at 11th Street Bar seemed somewhat claustrophobic, with tables placed almost directly in front of the band, it was suited perfectly for Saint Bernadette to interact with the audience, and, in turn, for the audience to watch them interact with each other and see that they were enjoying themselves. Frontwoman Meredith's voice was smooth, raw, and haunting -- absolutely flawless (despite being 'plagued with a terrible illness'; it's doubtful that anyone would have realized had she not mentioned it). Especially on "Pieces," a mellow, subdued, and wistful song. Even the gritty, more rockish songs ("Lay Me Down"; listen on myspace) seemed to work, especially with the atmosphere of the space (apparently, they had to turn down the volume, due to the prior week's performance being too loud); every note resonated and drew the listeners into a world of vastly different, yet harmonious blend of pop, sonic rock, and jazz. They closed with "Beat Dialogue," their more jazz-influenced song from their debut, In the Ballroom. The experience is completely worth it; while In the Ballroom is enchanting and eclectic, the band's live performance, along with Meredith's confident presence, completes the package. In fact, from what I've heard that evening, I look forward to their upcoming release (at least according to a few places on the web, it's called I Wanna Tell You Something; keep an eye -- or ear -- out for that). Check the tour dates for when they hit your town.

We are a group of music fans! We are always looking for new and old music to review.