Now Streaming: New CDs from Christopher Owens, Hilly Eye, Widowspeak, & More

A couple of long-awaited debut albums are the most notable of this week's new free streaming albums. Ever since Christopher Owens left the popular (and now defunct) indie-rock band Girls, fans had been wondering when he would appear with a solo album, and what it would sound like. Wait no more, for you can now preview Owens's "Lysandre" below at Spinner.

Hilly Eye's debut album is streaming at Paste this week.

The album came out today on Turnstile/Fat Possum, and Owens and his band will play two nights at Bowery Ballroom next week, Jan. 21st and 22nd (get tickets here).

Amy Klein had been working on musical side projects when she was with Titus Andronicus, and cited those efforts in her decision to leave that successful New Jersey band. Klein has been playing in two different bands, Hilly Eye and Leda, since departing from Titus, and it is the former that is now releasing its first album.

While the two-piece Hilly Eye (Klein and Catherine Tung) has released a few songs in recent months, its first album, "Reasons to Live," is streaming this week at Paste Magazine (below). You can enjoy the noise-rock, psychedelia-inflected album this week, and see the band play at the Don Giovanni Records showcase on Feb. 8th at Music Hall of Williamsburg (get tickets here). The album drops Jan. 22nd.

Also streaming this week: the new albums from Brooklyn's Widowspeak and Philadelphia's Free Energy, plus the soundtrack to "West of Memphis," the documentary about the years-long effort to free the West Memphis Three. The soundtrack features contributions from a diverse range of artists: Henry Rollins, Natalie Maines, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Marilyn Manson, Band of Horses, and Eddie Vedder, among others.

There are more albums streaming besides the ones shown here; see the websites below for NPR Music, Spinner, and AOL Music to see their full line-ups. Happy listening!

Paste Magazine: 
"Reasons to Live" by Hilly Eye

NPR First Listen:
"Almanac" by Widowspeak
"No Beginning No End" by Jose James
"My True Story" by Aaron Neville

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"Lysandre" by Christopher Owens
"Love Sign" by Free Energy
"West of Memphis Soundtrack" by various artists
"Don't Stop" by Willy Mason
"Manifestra" by Erin McKeown
"Don't Let Me Sleep" by Midnight Spin
"Academy Songs, Vol.1" by Holopaw
"Sky Burial" by Rice Cultivation Society

AOL Music Listening Party: 
"Plan-Do-Check-Act" by Recovery Council
"The Lone Bellow" by The Lone Bellow

Music Notes: CMJ Announces More Acts; Amanda Palmer Seeking Musicians; Pussy Riot to Go Free?; & More

Here's a collection of musical tidbits from far and wide:

* CMJ has announced a second round of artists for its 2012 music schedule (Oct. 16th - 20th), including AraabMUZIK, Savages, and Hey Rosetta!. Bands already announced include Mountain Goats, DIIV, and The Walkmen, among many others.



* Amanda Palmer attracted much derision when she called for musicians to come play on stage with her during her current tour—despite raising more than $1 million through Kickstarter for her current album (which is streaming online this week). Palmer insists that it would be too expensive to hire the string quartet, horns, etc. for the tour, and notes that participating musicians will get the experience of playing before her enthusiastic fans, and getting "beer and hugs." And hey, no one's forcing musicians to play with Palmer.

* Could Pussy Riot go free soon? Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the three imprisoned members of the punk rock performance group should be let out of jail, and there are hints that this could happen after their appeal comes up on Oct. 1st. (via Spinner)

* Bonnaroo has announced the dates of its 2013 festival. The long-running Manchester, Tennessee shindig will take place June 13th - 16th. (via Consequence of Sound)

* Madonna has announced a second Madison Square Garden show, which will take place on Tues., Nov. 13th. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Fri., Sept. 14th at 10 a.m. Her Nov. 12th show is sold out, although sometimes extra tickets are placed on sale later.

* Canada's CBC Music has announced several new online streams in the continuing upgrade of its music website, which was totally revamped and relaunched several months ago. There's a stream of new-wave music that went live today, with songs hand picked by DJ and talk-show host Jian Ghomesi, and new offerings devoted to electronic dance music (EDM) and other genres as well as specialty streams dedicated to k.d. Lang and one-hit wonders.



* Finally, Brooklyn band Leda (fronted by Amy Klein, formerly of Titus Andronicus) released a new video (above) on Klein's Tumblr yesterday. It's a live performance of a song called "You Are the One," and Klein says more videos are coming. Based on the the tunes I've heard from Leda so far, I'm looking forward to hearing their debut album, whenever it comes.

Music Notes: Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" Hits the Stores & the Critics Weigh In

Lana Del Rey's full-length is out; see below for links to reviews.

Lana Del Rey's debut album "Born To Die"was released today, and finally everyone has more than just a few songs and her painful SNL performances by which to judge her. The album will have attracted plenty of detractors no matter what it sounded like, but there are some critics and journalists that are giving "Born to Die" a fair hearing.

Among those giving "Born to Die" reviews that focus on the music rather than the hysteria surrounding LDR: The New Yorker (by Sasha Frere-Jones), Spin, Pitchfork, and the L.A. Times. Many of the reviews I've seen mention how the lyrics seem to portray a woman who's submissive and/or eager to please, and preoccupied with fame and material pleasures, which is all part of the reason for the controversy surrounding Del Rey.



Another common theme is that the Del Rey persona can vary widely from song to song and seem inconsistent, as well as devoid of real emotion. "There is little wisdom in 'Born to Die,' but more than enough pleasure," Frere-Jones writes, ultimately concluding that "the character of Del Rey, authentic or not, is so inconsistent that she fades from view, into her own photo spread."And Lindsay Zoladz writes in Pitchfork, "The ultimate disappointment of "Born To Die"... is how out of touch it feels not just with the world around it, but with the simple business of human emotion."

All of the reviews I've seen mention the lyrics, but Rob Harvilla's Spin review singles out of number of them as "Objectively Ridiculous Lyrics on this Album," including "Everything I want I have / Money, notoriety, and rivieras," which Del Rey uses in the bio section of her Twitter profile.

In a blog post entitled "The Last Thing I've Ever Write About Lana Del Rey," ex-Titus Andronicus member and feminist Amy Klein examines the former Lizzy Grant's music and persona in terms of the vision of women that society wants. "The problem is that when it comes to women, we seem to want a character and not the truth, " Klein writes. "We want Lana Del Rey, not Lizzy Grant."

Like most people in the world, I haven't yet heard "Born to Die," although retailers are making it a low-risk proposition. In the U.S., iTunes is selling the album download for $7.99, and Amazon.com is selling the "Born To Die" download for $5.99and the CD for $7.99(for today only, it seems). [NOTE: Prices are still in effect as of the night of Feb. 2nd]. "Born To Die" is on Spotify, if you have an account there.

Now that the full-length album is out, Lana Del Rey will no doubt continue to stir controversy. It will be interesting to see if she can now develop a confident stage performance that will captivate concertgoers more than "Born To Die"has the critics.

Live Shows Saturday: Screaming Females, Bear Hands, Jaymay, & More

Screaming Females headlines at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday.

Saturday is a good night to see some indie rock in the NYC area. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Screaming Females from New Brunswick, NJ play Bowery Ballroom in a show starting at 9 p.m. Also on the bill are Shellshag, Underground Railroad To Candyland, and Hilly Eye (featuring singer and guitarist Amy Klein from Titus Andronicus). If you like female rockers, this show should be a good one. And it'll get you in the mood for the upcoming shows by Throwing Muses and Wild Flag.
  
  
• On the other end of the female musician spectrum is Long Island native Jamie Seerman, who performs under the name Jaymay, and is playing at Bowery Electric in a show that starts at 7:30.  The show also features Lou-is and My Cousin The Emperor. I first heard of her more than five years ago when WFUV played her funny, quirky pop song "See Green, Sea Blue." Although she's appeared on some of the late-night TV shows and had a song or two featured in popular TV programs, she's stayed below the radar.
  
  
• Indie rockers Bear Hands play Maxwell's in Hoboken Saturday with Grandchildren. Showtime is set for 9 p.m. Bear Hands has gained a following over the last few years while opening for acts like MGMT and Vampire Weekend. Their debut full-length is 2010's "Burning Bush Supper Club."

Music Notes, Ladies' Edition: Willie Mae Benefit Show & More

Help support girls who rock at the Willie Mae benefit in Brooklyn Saturday.

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I'm a big fan of female artists, but this edition of Music Notes is devotedly solely to women (and girls) who rock.

* 7th Sound Wave: Benefit for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls: the Brooklyn training ground for female rockers will be the beneficiary of a show this Saturday night at Manifesta Loft in Brooklyn (315 Seigel St., Apt 217). The performers will be female or female-fronted bands, including teen punk-pop trio Care Bears on Fire and Big Nils (featuring Coco Moore, daughter of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon).

Also on the bill: Bad Credit No Credit, Shady Hawkins, and Titus Andronicus member Amy Klein (her feminist group Permanent Wave is organizing the benefit). Klein will also be taking part in a panel discussion on women in music, with participants spanning the generations.

I've missed several Willie Mae benefits in the past, but really want to catch this one—though it overlaps somewhat with a good country/bluegrass show in the Roots of American Music series at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. (The good news is that the 7th Sound Wave show begins with the panel at 8 p.m., and since the LCOOD show is at 6, it's possible to catch part of the first and then see all the music at the second.)

The Willie Mae benefit is only $7, and for that you get to see a number of up-and-coming female rockers (plus the panel, if you get there early). You can't beat that, in my book.

Permanent Wave's 7th SOUND WAVE: Benefit for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
Manifesta Loft, 315 Seigel St., Apt 217
Brooklyn, NY
All ages; admission: $7
(link to brief article with map)

Celebrate the release of the Runaways tribute record tonight at the Jersey Shore.

* Speaking of spanning the generations of female rockers (and of Care Bears on Fire), CBOF will be playing tonight, Aug. 12th, at the release party for Take It or Leave it, a tribute album to The Runaways. The show is at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. Also playing will be Richard Barone (formerly of the Bongos), Frankenstein 3000, The Easy Outs, Clinical Trials, and more.

The album, Take It Or Leave It - A Tribute To the Queens of Noise: The Runaways, is a two-disc set that was released on June 28th and features contributions from Shonen Knife, The Donnas, the Dandy Warhols, and David Johansen of The New York Dolls, and many others. (Buy Take It Or Leave It at Amazon.com)

The Runaways Tribute Album Release Party
Brighton Bar, 121 Brighton Ave., Long Branch, NJ
Admission: $10
(directions and info on the venue)

The Go-Go's (seen here playing in NYC) received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

* Coincidentally, these concerts are happening the same week that perhaps the most successful all-female rock band, the Go-Go's, got a big honor. Yesterday the band received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and as far as I know all of the current band members were on hand. You can see photos from the Go-Go's Walk of Fame festivities here.

Congratulations to the Go-Go's!