sonic slang

Albert Hammond Jr.'s Apt Up for Grabs

My favorite Stroke (besides the breast, har har) Albert Hammond Jr. is selling his East Village pad for around 900k.  Really not a bad deal so check it out if you're a deep-pocketed fan in need of some new digs.  But be quick - I found this via Miss Modern Age's blog, who I can only assume is currently preparing to knock over a liquor store for the down payment...

Catching Up with Ryan Adams

So Ryan Adams (yeah, we're going there already - might as well start someplace familiar) appears to be handling married life pretty well, straddling "lovey dovey" husband, blogger bullseye and general doofus with uncharacteristic aplomb.  I can't say I love the LA move (remember what happened when Springsteen moved to Cali, Ryan?  Human Touch.  That's what.), but this and this have me at least a little hopeful for some good tunes down the road.  

B-Sides

- Stream The Walkmen's You and Me at Spinner

- It's rare I see a new "list post" that hasn't been done to death, but ExplodingNOW's "Amazing Dive Bar Songs" is worth a look - Plenty of Stones, Replacements and Velvet Underground...Not so sure about the Belle and Sebastian, but who said dive bars were only for tough guys?

- Sometimes I forget that Oasis were once upon a time a f*cking awesome band - This Dig Out your Soul trailer/video montage reminded me, plus it has a promising snippet for "The Shock of the Lightning."  Dare we get our hopes up yet again?

- Confession: "The Escapist" is the first track from The Streets that hasn't put me to sleep.  Of course, who isn't a sucker for 80s-style contemplative slow jams...

- Oh Royston Langdon, I know you're still smarting from that Liv Tyler breakup, but you're better than this

Moby Launches Video Contest

Now that Moby's reclaimed his hipster card with the club-ready, but mercifully non-commercial Last Night, (the thing ain't even gone gold - woo hoo!) he's baiting the artsy cool kids once again with a video contest (hosted on Vimeo, natch).  Hey Vegans, that's a lotta tofu up for grabs there...

Winners will have their video used as the official clip for new single "Ooh Yeah," and receive 10K in cash. For full contest details, head over to http://www.mobygratis.com/competition.html

Radiohead, Live at the BBC Theatre

Freebie Alert: As this dreary Friday in NYC slowly draws to a close, pass the remaining hours with some free tunes - Radiohead, live at the BBC Theatre in London on 4.1. Thanks to Allan at SixEyes for the hook up!

Dr. Adams Keeps on Bloggin'

Let's share what we learned today from Ryan Adams ridiculously prolific (natch) and highly addictive Tumblr blog, now sporting a new design and a name: Dr. Adams Films Inc. 

Ryan Adams...

1. Is messy
2. Loves vinyl
3. Can't spell Def Leppard
4. Dreams in song
5. Is (at least in an ironic sense) stoked for the new Mariah disc
6. Stole his couch and livingroom mirror from my grandmother's apartment circa 1986
7. Is way more diligent with his blogging than SS

Spring Cleaning at SS

You may have noticed that SS is on a little siesta - Don't worry, we're just doing some spring cleaning.  We'll be back shortly.  In the meantime, check out the new layout from the our fancypants friends over at Stereogum.  But don't forget to come back!

Britney, MMJ, Jack Johnson, more

- Britney is back in the hospital and placed on “mental evaluation hold.”

- Talib Kweli teams with Kanye West for new, momma-lovin' single

- Hang tough ladies, NKOTB will still reunite, but now it's a threesome

- Check out full album streams from Jack Johnson and Bob Mould

- My Morning Jacket and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra performing "Gideon" at the Chicago Lollapalooza

- Billy Bragg to release first disc under own name in six years

- Strokes "Is This It" cover model speaks...briefly

REM Buzz Abounds: New Video, Tour Rumors

So there was some big blogger buzz (especially among the 30+ set) on the LES late last week as REM was shooting the first video for the band's alleged "comeback" disc.  At least its got a cool name - "Supernatural Superserious" and the clip on REMHQ actually sounds quite promising.  We're not drinking the Kool-Aid yet, but this at least warrants a thoughtful "hmmm..."

What?  You still haven't recovered from Around the Sun and need us to stoke the fires a bit more?  Well check out this rumor:  Both The National and freakin' Modest Mouse plan to open on portions of the '08 tour!  Talk about trying to get your street cred back...

Keep reading for a production clip inside a LES wine shop, as well as the full track list for Accelerate, if you haven't caught it yet.

Picture Us Rollin' in Tupac's '96 Hummer

We're easy our way back into the work week at SS, so posts will be slow but steady.  But to lead things off, we've got the perfect eBay auction to blow grandma's Christmas money on.  This is, if your Grandma is in the habit of filling your stocking with 200K.

via Jalopnik:

"The '96 Hummer H1 owned at one time by rapper Tupac Shakur is now up for auction on eBay for the bargain basement price of just $200,000."

Apparently the Shakurs are unloading this beauty because of impending bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy?  Hasn't Tupac had like 7 #1 albums since he actually found out of there's a "Ghetto in Heaven?"