The Delicate Sound

 I recently started writing reviews for Psychedelic Scene magazine in California - my first assignment was a lovely little slice of lo-fi bedroom pop from a band called Silver People .

What a meeting of the minds this was - sound and visionary at just the right time. Perfect throwback for a sad day. #davidbowie #808state #tommyboyrecords #vinyl #1991 #nofilter A photo posted by Rob Cavenagh (@robcavenagh) on Jan 11, 2016 at 6:36am PST It was Elvis' birthday last Friday January 8 which means it was also David Bowie's. So imagine my surprise when I turned to my Instagram feed today (my typical first app of the day) only to see it blowing up with more than a birthday's level of his album covers (I follow a lot of other collectors). I posted the above 12" cover after I posted Diamond Dogs LP because that's how we do. My favorite Bowie record is Ziggy Stardust - not for the depth and breadth of it's sheer genius but for the simple fact that my favorite song is there: Hang On To Yourself . I was in an original band in college that also played an eclectic set of covers - that song included. So much fun to play. There have been times

I don’t know whether it is because Newark Night was last week or Claire posted a photo of Brett in Germany, but you know me: I like to reminisce with music. This playlist is a representative sampling of what Doug, Mike, Joel and I were listening to the summer I moved out of the dorms and into a little row house across from the Tower. Some of these are merely for documentation – I blame Louis for Fast Car. We probably wore out the Life Is Good CD, and the Just Say Yes, Vol.1 compilation too. All I remember is music 24/7 and the first address that wasn’t my parents or a dorm. Good times. Feel free to add more tunes (or correct me). Spotify playlist:https://www.facebook.com/music/playlist/59-N-Chapel/10150968333099726  The Sugarcubes Birthday  Hüsker Dü Up In The Air  Fishbone Ma And Pa  Tracy Chapman Fast Car  Billy Bragg Greeting

There is some sort of symmetry in the fact that I was at band practice when I found out REM had called it quits. Hearing that they had broken up was sort of like hearing about an old friend passing away after a long illness: I had not listened to them much in recent years and knew nothing of their most recent material. My only reference is - like old snapshots - based on when I knew them best: the 1980s. REM was a great friend to me for a long time but we lost touch. The phone calls became less frequent, REM stopped asking about my job, Bill Berry left in 1997 and I didn't even send a card. I don't mean to be flippant or disrespectful of losing a friend or loved one - I am just pointing out the similarities. REM was for me the embodiment of college rock - even before I was in college. The local college radio station played them and to me they were the coolest of cool. While I devoted a lot of time and money to other bands in that same period, it was REM that really def

I have been very tardy in posting this. Those who worked at Muze and participated in the Aussies know that this is an impeachable offense at minimum. Let’s just say that it is much easier to compile than those days Bi (Before iTunes). 1. The Verbs – Burnt Out Star 2. White Rabbits – Percussion Gun 3. Audrye Sessions – Turn Me Off 4. The Limousines – Ve ry Busy People 5. Miike Snow – Song For No One 6. The Big Pink – Dominos 7. Big Rock Candy Mountain – Hey Kid Give Me Your Money 8. We Were Promised Jetpacks – Moving Clocks Run Slow 9. The Features – Lions 10. Cage the Elephant – No Rest For the Wicked Now you create your list - albums are next. Don't think I will make a list of top ten movies since I am not sure I have seen 10 movies that came out in 2009. Maybe.

I never seem to get tired of movies about bands - or mostly about bands. Here are a bunch I like - what do you think? 1. A Hard Day's Night (1965) - the first and king of all band movies (to me). Legend has it that George Martin asked John Lennon to write a title track because they needed another tune to fill out the sound track for the movie that w as still in production. John (legend has it) went upstairs and came back down an hour later with "A Hard Day's Night" and said "there you go - now stop bothering me!" The world is still talking about whatever the heck the first chord is... 2. That Thing You Do! (1996) - a never was, could have been group from Erie, PA. Song by Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne and that new "supergroup" Tinted Windows). Tom Hanks and his Rita Wilson at their finest. Even though they play the main tune 5-6 times during the movie, it never gets old. 3. Almost Famous (2000) - where were you when Robert Plant yelled "