Maroon 5 B-Sides

Maroon 5 has released a collection of B-Sides and outtakes from their newest album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long. Before you even finish listening to the 7 song collection it's easy to see why they didn't make it onto the finished product. These songs lack the glossy production featured on the album and instead sound more like cuts from the Something About Jane record. They don't quite have the muscle that the rest of the It Won't Be Soon Before Long tracks do. Essential purchase only for true Maroon 5 fans.

Ringo is inovative but still not as popular as Paul

The Beatle that everyone loves to hate is releasing his newest record in a most interesting and unique way. You can buy his new album as a cd or digital download but to be truly hip you'd have to buy the USB wristband version. Pretty cool if not totally useless. Read more here.

Personally I like Ringo and select songs in his solo career. He tends to be a bit one dimensional but that's part of his charm. It is Ringo after all. Besides, of all the different personalities in the group, he seemed the most normal and the coolest to grab a drink with.

The Black Tambourine Reviews Section

If you look towards the right column you'll find a picture of a 50's era pin-up that when clicked, will usher you to our newest feature: The Black Tambourine Reviews Section. It's the only (making it the best?) place to go to find out our take on the albums we've heard both new and old. Delivered in our usual mediocre writing style that has become our trademark, we'll be reviewing not only the latest albums, but also some of the best known, long forgotten, and underrated classics from years gone by.

SITE UPDATE: Christmas Break

As you may or may not have noticed...okay, have not noticed, there haven't been any new updates for a little while. Both Andrew B. and myself have been kicking back and taking it easy for a short Christmas break. We'll be back posting very soon. My personal thanks to all our readers. All three of you. You guys make our day. Peace.

John Lennon's Christmas Wishes

John Lennon was killed 27 years ago. The world could use him now more than ever. No matter your political leaning I hope you can understand and appreciate John's genuine desire for love and peace for all of humanity. His music and overall message for humanity shouldn't be tarnished or glorified, just remembered.

Grammy Nominations

The grammy award nominations were announced yesterday.

Kanye West leads Amy Winehouse with his eight nominations to her six. The two face each other for the coveted Album Of The Year award while Winehouse is up for Record Of The Year for Rehab. That would be one of the most ironic wins in quite a while. Still more ironic if she can't accept the award because she's in rehab.

As I read the nominees i'm reminded how inconsequential the award has become. There are some truly mediocre artists nominated this year. None of the artists for Album Of The Year would/should end up within the top five of any respected music critics best albums of the year. Graduation from West was pretty good without being great and the same can be said for Winehouse's Back to Black. Moreover, the most interesting of any of the album categories is one I don't usually care about, Rap Album of the Year. The Pop, Rock, R&B, and Country album categories move beyond inconsequential to downright silly with the one exception being Wilco's Sky Blue Sky. I'm not big into country but I know nominating Tim McGraw any year is questionable while ignoring Miranda Lambert's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is just ignorant.

click here to see the categories and nominees.

Led Zeppelin stateside in 08?

I just heard today that Led Zeppelin may be the headliners at the 2008 Bonnaroo music festival. This is big news indeed for a festival that hasn't been around all that long but is getting bigger and more popular every year. It may be the start of an interesting trend. Last years festival featured the Police in one of their reunion gigs. Who's next? Cream? That would rock so hard that it could never ever happen, but we can still dream.

Conquest from the White Stripes

We posted photos earlier of Jack and Meg White in Spanish bullfighting costumes for their then upcoming music video and newest single, Conquest. That video is now available on their website and of course YouTube (and now here...through YouTube). I think it's quite good, especially in light of their last video for You Don't Know What Love Is which I found to be quite lackluster and boring. Conquest finds its way back to the quality of the White Stripes earlier videos. It's all out melodrama with a twist of humor.

New Portishead Album in the Works

The glitchy electronic space sound of Portishead is set to return in a new album in the first part of 2008. This may make some of you excited while others (okay, me) didn't get into them when they were big and don't have any plans to anytime soon. I've listened to their self-titled album and haven't "found" the genius of their sound. I have a feeling that i'm looking for something that doesn't exist within the band, but within the minds of Portishead fans. But I digress.

You can read the story here at Pitchfork.

Top Music Videos of 2007

Update 12/02/07 - Updated the video links so they're back up and running

Here are 12 of my favorite music videos that came out this year. Some are weird, funny, animated, and colorful but all are great showcases for the songs they represent. All links take you to that video on YouTube.

12. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough - Manic Street Preachers

11. Flathead - The Fratellis

10. Apartment Story - The National

9. Innocence - Bjork
(video contest winners)

8. Challengers - The New Pornographers
(The movie Pleasantville in three and half minutes)

7. Dashboard - Modest Mouse

6. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Hands
(This is exactly what the internet was created for. Sharing creative but useless videos that waste our time and whose only redeeming value is that they're so damn cool)

5. Elephant Gun - Beirut

It's beautifully decadent. With random acts of over dramatic and orchestrated movement, this feels like the exact opposite of the 1234 video from Feist. And the part with Zach playing his horn to the sea is quite poetic.



4. Better - Regina Spektor

A good song and a great looking video. The concept of seeing an army of Reginas running loose in a field is silly but fun. My favorite moment comes halfway through video when one of the Reginas runs to get in on the huddle.



3. D.A.N.C.E - Justice

Even though the entire video takes place on a couple of t-shirts, this video doesn't skimp on innovation and is over far too soon. Some of the best production this year.



2. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn & John

The fact that this video looks like it was directed by Robert Smigel is part of its charm, but for me the thought bubbles make the video.



1. Be Good Or Be Gone - Fionn Regan

Each time I watch this video impressed by the acoustics in each location. The sound of shoppers in the grocery store, the seagulls by the docks, and the silent ambience of the bookstore create another dimension for the song. Simple but brilliant.

'46664' is not just any number, but a lifechanging campaign.

December 1st is the day to honor the memory of all the people we have lost to AIDS.


Today, December 1st, we say a prayer in our hearts for those living HIV & AIDS. The world has lost so many men, women, and children to this horrific disease.
To honor those who have and are suffering from HIV/AIDS global support from a multitude of international artists including Peter Gabriel, Corinne Bailey Rae, Annie Lennox, Ludacris, Razorlight, Goo Good Dolls and Jamelia has been announced last month. More than fourty artists and musicians will be gathered today at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesberg, South Africa for the forthcoming 46664 concert.





The significance of the number 46664 was that it was Nelson Mandela's prison number. In 1964 he was help captive for 18 years on Robben Island, Cape Town. But in 2002, under the guidance of Nelson Mandela, his number, 46664 was given to the top artists to raise awareness of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. 46664’s project funds develop and support practical programmes for the prevention, testing, care and support for those infected and affected by HIV/ AIDS in Africa. Currently, 46664's 2007/2008 campaign is providing outreach activities to communities and schools to engage the youth most affected by HIV/AIDS. Nelson Mandela's non-profit organisation unleashes the universal connecting power of music to deliver its messages. With this campaign driven by well known artists, they are capturing the attention of youth world-wide.

John Frusciante performs How Deep Is Your Love

There are a couple of things I like about this video of John Frusciante covering the Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love. The fact that the lead guitarist for the RHCP even thought to perform this classic and underrated disco love song is seriously cool. Also, the passion John has for the song is evident in his frustration at missing a chord change. The other surprising thing is John's voice. I had no idea he had such an effective falsetto.

Free Videos From Beirut

I love Beirut. They're by far the best thing i've discovered this year in music. Zach Condon lives in a different world that most. A world where music isn't made to be bought or sold but to bring out all of the emotion that living life can bring. His woozy Balkan-Gypsy music is more suited for the faded romance of a victrola player rather than a CD or MP3 player.

He and his band have a new record out now called The Flying Club Cup. They made a video for each song that you can watch for free on their website flyingclubcup.com. Filmed in Brooklyn just a few months ago, the videos capture a glimpse of Beirut's special free flowing form.

John Mayer releases new song

John Mayer has a new song out called "Say" for the movie The Bucket List. For the next few days you can download the music video on iTunes. It's not his best work, especially lyrically, but the stripped down acoustic guitar approach is actually refreshing to hear again after a few plugged in albums. A solid B+.

Emmy Rossum A Way Distant Second

This is some what related to my last post about The Bird and The Bee. While clicking through iTunes I stumbled across another version of Carol of the Bells. This time from Emmy Rossum. The star of The Phantom of The Opera uses her breathy but clear voice to the best of her ability here but comes up short. It sounds like a Bjork cover if Bjork didn't have taste or restraint. A good cover adds focus and hopefully a new interpretation to the original. Somehow Emmy has given this holiday classic a cold reptilian feel. How much do I dislike it? Enough to actually post this.

The Bird and The Bee are free on iTunes

Head over to iTunes for the Single of the Week which just happens to be from the fabulous The Bird and The Bee. Most Christmas songs don't benefit from the cold sterilization of layered vocals and minimalistic instrumentation that electro-pop can sometimes bring but their reinterpretation of Carol of the Bells works surprisingly well here. It helps when the song is already a choir favorite that comes close to sounding like electro-pop in its traditional form. It's not going to become a holiday favorite but it's a "cool" take on a classic.

While you're there check out their new Please Clap Your Hands EP. It's a small cache of brand new material and one cover that serves as an appetizer for the the full coarse album soon to be released. By the by, that cover (a personal favorite of mine) is the Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love. That song alone is worth the price of admission.

A New White Stripes Music Video

On their latest record Icky Thump, the White Stripes covered Conquest; a tune popular somewhere back in the 50s. You might have heard the Patti Page version on a recent ebay commercial. Although it's a great cover and a highlight on the album, it's still a bit of an unusual choice for a single. Here's some photos from the upcoming video for Conquest found on their website.

'Apartment Story' The National

If you haven't heard of The National, slap yourself in the face and go pick up their amazing new album Boxer. It's one of this years most surprising and exciting releases. It might take a couple of listens to penetrate the ambiguous lyrics and the pushing rhythm section but you'll be rewarded with the sound, depth, and beauty of a young band just entering their prime. This is modern poetry.

Free EP From Wilco

Those of you who were smart enough to recognize a great album and bought Wilco's Sky Blue Sky earlier this year are in for a treat. Wilco has just released a new double disc edition of Sky Blue Sky with a 5 track EP attached. They're making it a free download for those of you who already bought the record. Just pop the disc in your computer and download.

Track Listing:
1. The Thanks I Get
2. Let's Not Get Carried Away
3. One True Vine
4. Impossible Germany (Live)
5. Hate It Here (Live)

A new Weezer album this year? Almost.

Since 2005's Make Believe, its been pretty quiet in Weezerland. That'll change soon, sort of. As Weezer's frontman and primary songwriter, Rivers Cuomo has acrued quite a large back catalog of unreleased songs. Most of these exist as demos in his own personal collection, until now. Alone - The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo will be released on December 11th. Set to contain 18 tracks from various demos from 1992-2007 including an early demo of Buddy Holly and a couple of covers to boot, it will also contain extensive notes from Rivers on each song and his songwriting process. Coming from a man who has created a book he calls The Encyclopedia of Pop, these insights should be interesting.

As for Weezer, their sixth album is finished and is currently being mixed. It should see the light of day in the first part of next year.

I'm Not There

November 21st.