Mason Jennings - New Album

Mason Jennings has announced that his 8th studio album, Blood of Man, will be released on the 15th September 2009. This is Mason's 2nd release for Jack Johnson's label Brushfire Records and I am looking forward to hearing it more than any other release on this years schedule. The new album was produced by Mason and he has also played all the instruments for the first time.

For my money, Mason Jennings is the greatest songwriter of our time and is very underrated, especially in Australia. For anyone who has not heard Mason Jennings before, do yourself a favour and give him a try. His distinctive voice and ability to write clever, amusing and thoughtful lyrics should make him as popular as his label boss Jack Johnson, but unfortunately mentioning his name usually ellicits blank stares. Hopefully this album will be the one that breaks him as artist and it might entice to make another trip down to Australia. I was lucky enough to see him twice on a weekend back in 2003 when he supported The Beautiful Girls and his version of "Bulls on Parade" on an acoustic guitar is one of the best live covers I have ever seen. Here is a statement from the man himself on the upcoming album:

“I can’t wait to get out on the road and play the new songs from Blood of Man. This batch of songs is so intensely personal, so dark, and so rocking that I am a little afraid of what will happen. That’s why I am bringing out my good friends Brian McLeod on drums and Chris Morrissey on bass. I will be playing a lot of electric guitar and I can honestly say that I have no idea what will be conjured up. I only know that it will be really open, really loud and really real.” -Mason Jennings

Here is a great short film with Mason discussing the new album Blood of Man. I also found a couple of songs played acoustic from the new album and some classic Mason for newcomers.









(Not Official Video)

Homebake 09 - First Announcement

Australia's premier homegrown music festival is back for it's 15th year and features some of the country's best bands and as usual some unexpected acts from yesteryear. The most exciting announcement for me is 90's stoner rock legends Tumbleweed who I have seen play excellent sets at a number of festivals. Hopefully they will some more shows around Australia around the time of Homebake. Powderfinger will likely have a swag of brand new tracks to road test as well as they are currently in the studio recording their 7th studio album.

POWDERFINGER, JET, HILLTOP HOODS, ESKIMO JOE, SIA, DANIEL MERRIWEATHER, MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS, SARAH BLASKO, A special best of performance by TIM FINN, CLOSURE IN MOSCOW, TIKI TAANE (NZ), SHORT STACK, UNDERGROUND LOVERS (original line-up) PHRASE, DECODER RING, BUMBLEBEEZ, TUMBLEWEED (original line-up), EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING, ROWLAND S HOWARD (together with Mick Harvey, JP Shiloh & Lindsay Gravina), THE FUNKOARS, THE MIDDLE EAST, THE ASTON SHUFFLE, SUGAR ARMY, RECORD PRODUCER, SHOCKONE + many more still to be announced

Featuring…FOUR STAGES (Main Stage, The Big Top, The Dome & The Hopetoun Stage) THE HOMEBAKE CINEMA PAVILION (bigger and better than ever), MULTIMEDIA, INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR, MARKET STALLS, ROVING PERFORMERS, ARTIST SIGNING TENT (ALL PROCEEDS TO HABITAT FOR HUMANITY http://www.habitat.org.au, RIDES, YOUTH & COMMUNITY INFORMATION & AWARENESS STALLS & more!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 5TH, 2009The Domain, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney City, NSW Australia ON SALE MONDAY AUGUST 17TH, 2009 9.00AM - OVER 18’s ONLY

http://www.homebake.com.au/2009/index.html#/homepage/

http://www.oztix.com.au/

* Moshtix phonecharge: Ph 1300 438 849 or web: http://www.moshtix.com.au

Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time - List

Here is 100-1 of Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time that has been counting since Tuesday. They whole countdown will be replayed over this weekend but they have been revealing 20 a day and so far it has been an excellent list. Good to see some AC/DC, Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as well as some newer stuff like Bon Iver, Modest Mouse, Jeff Buckley and The Shins. I will update the list as the countdown continues. The final 20 of the countdown will not be revealed until Sunday afternoon.
1. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. Rage Against the Machine - Killing In The Name
3. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
4. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
5. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
6. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
9. Foo Fighters - Everlong
10. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
11. John Lennon - Imagine
12. Oasis - Wonderwall
13. Radiohead - Creep
14. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
15. Radiohead - Karma Police
16. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
17. Hilltop Hoods - The Nosebleed Section
18. Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
19. Metallica - One
20. White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
21. Powderfinger - These Days
22. Massive Attack - Teardrop
23. Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
24. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
25. Pearl Jam - Alive
26. Michael Jackson - Thriller
27. Powderfinger - My Happiness
28. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
29. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
30. Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
31. Metallica - Enter Sandman
32. New Order - Blue Monday
33. Silverchair - Tomorrow
34. The Living End - Prisoner Of Society
35. Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
36. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms
37. Tool - Stinkfist
38. The Killers - Mr Brightside
39. Pearl Jam - Better Man
40. Nirvana - Come As You Are
41. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
42. Bloc Party - Banquet
43. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
44. The Beatles - Hey Jude
45. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
46. Faith No More - Epic
47. John Butler Trio - Betterman
48. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
49. Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
50. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
51. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings
52. You Am I - Berlin Chair
53. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
54. The Cure - Close To Me
55. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
56. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over
57. Tool - Forty Six & 2
58. Daft Punk - Around The World
59. Augie March - One Crowded Hour
60. Johnny Cash - Hurt
61. Blur - Song 2
62. Nine Inch Nails - Closer
63. AC/DC - Thunderstruck
64. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
65. Underworld - Born Slippy
66. Elton John - Tiny Dancer
67. Ben Folds Five - Brick
68. Blink 182 - Dammit
69. Jeff Buckley - Grace
70. The Prodigy - Breathe
71. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
72. The Shins - New Slang
73. The Clash - London Calling
74. Nirvana - Lithium
75. Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
76. The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
77. Gotye - Hearts A Mess
78. Smashing Pumpkins - Today
79. David Bowie - Life on Mars
80. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
81. Pulp - Common People
82. System Of A Down - Chop Suey!
83. Placebo - Every You Every Me
84. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman, No Cry
85. The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
86. The Beatles - Come Together
87. Coldplay - Yellow
88. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
89. Rage Against the Machine - Bulls On Parade
90. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
91. AC/DC - Back In Black
92. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
93. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
94. Modest Mouse - Float On
95. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
96. Daft Punk - One More Time
97. Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
98. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
99. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
100. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

New Beastie Boys Album - (Updated 22.7.09) MCA diagnosed with cancer.

Tracklist
1. Tadlock's Glasses
2. B-Boys In The Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn The Fire
11. Bundt Cake
12. Funky Donkey
13. Lee Majors Come Again
14. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
15. Pop Your Balloon
16. Crazy Ass Shit
17. Here's A Little Something For Ya

Beastie Boys have released the details of their 8th studio album Hot Sauce Commitee Part 1. This is their first vocal album in 5 years after releasing the funky instrumental album The Mix Up in 2007. It is planned for release on September 15th 2009(Now T.B.A.) with Hot Sauce Commitee Part 2 also on the way according to Mike D:

"Pt. 2 is pretty much done. Basically we were making ...Pt 1, had too many songs, so we recorded some more songs. Which sounds bizarre but it actually worked out, because it made it clear to us which songs were going to be on ...Pt 1. Then we had this whole other album of songs: ...Pt 2. ...Pt 1’s going to be your regular CD in the stores and to download, but ...Pt 2 is going to be released in...we’re still figuring it out, but a different way. More of a 2009 style. You could get in the shower one day and, boom, all of a sudden you’re showered with MP3s. Or we might send people a seven-inch every few weeks, so you have a whole box set".

The first taste of the album "Lee Majors Come Again" is the upcoming first single from the album and is a return to their earlier raw punk sound although it may be just a demo version. You can check out the audio below.

Adam Yauch (MCA) has just announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer and the new album will now be postponed. The good news is that surgery should be able to remove the cancer growth found in his glands without damaging his vocal chords. See the You Tube clip below to hear it from MCA himself.

New Music - July 2009

Here is what I have been listening to over the past month and some new releases.