Uncanny

Japanese metal band BORIS has released one of 2006's best albums, PINK, released by the SOUTHERN LORD label. Check a feature on Boris, and label mates Sunn0))), in the NY TIMES MAGAZINE.

GUARDIAN UK "White Bread, Black Beer - [Green] Gartside's fabulous new album, released under the Scritti Politti name that brought him fame more than 20 years ago, and his first release in seven years - is radiant with love and gratitude. The pioneer of the self-deconstructing love song that reveals amorous language to be a delirium of superstitious nonsense, the melodic genius who placed scare quotes inside The 'Sweetest Girl' to indicate his 'deeply mistrustful' feelings about love, has found the One. Turns out she was there all along."

EMIL KOZAK

BLOGCRITICS
HALLMARK

ASBURY PARK PRESS "It's a shame," Mike Love said. "Brian has . . . problems. He's been controlled his whole life. His father controlled him and then Dr. (Eugene) Landy controlled him. And now the people surrounding him are controlling his life. I would welcome the opportunity for Brian to be in this band, but I can't imagine him ever having control and him getting over his paranoia."

"Some songs are just a little too esoteric to do at shows," Love said. "They're great songs, but we can't play them all. We recorded so many great songs from the early years. I have great memories of those times."

"What Brian and I had was really special. We started singing together at an early age. We're a year apart. We were 11, 12 years old. We had a great relationship, but it didn't take long for things to get weird."

"I'm known as the bad one in this band, but it's not true. I was just different from the Wilsons (Brian, Dennis and Carl). . . . It's a shame how that all went down. But fortunately, the Beach Boys are still here and we're valid."

MONDO DADDYKIN
PSYCHEDELIC CINNAMON

CJR "For those who don’t have forty hours a week to devote to panning for gold in the vast muddy river of new releases, there’s Pitchfork (www.pitchforkmedia.com), the eleven-year-old Web magazine that does the sifting for you. The main thing that distinguishes Pitchfork from the Rolling Stones and Spins of the world is its focus: album reviews — five new ones every day — that are aimed at helping the overwhelmed listener. 'In some other magazines, what this band or that band did on the road gets more words than ‘Is the record good?’ and ‘Should you buy it?’' says Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork’s thirty-year-old founder and editor in chief. Not so at Pitchfork, where the other features on the site — breaking news about the independent music scene, interviews with musicians, and features — are merely extras."

BILLBOARD "The reunited 1910 FRUITGUM COMPANY has re-recorded five of its late 1960s hits along with as many new original songs. Led by original members Floyd Marcus (drums/vocals) and Frank Jeckell (guitar/vocals), the bubblegum pop group tracked 'That Was Then, This Is Now' in March at Doc Holiday's Power Plant Studio in Hampton, Va."

"The 'That Was Then' half of the disc features remakes of 'Simon Says,' 'Indian Giver,' '1,2,3 Red Light,' 'May I Take a Giant Step' and 'Goody, Goody Gumdrops.'"

"The latter 'This Is Now' half introduces the group -- rounded out by Mick Mansueto (vocals), Glenn Lewis (bass/vocals), Mike Edell (keyboards/vocals), Bob Brescia (keyboards/vocals) and David Marcus (guitar) -- as FGC with the new cuts 'You Don't Have To Touch To Feel,' 'I Had a Dream,' 'Set Me on Fire,' 'Take Me the Way I Am' and 'I Don't Want To Play These Games.' The set was produced by Holiday and Marcus."
UNOFFICIAL 1910 SITE
BUBBLEGUM UNIVERASITY

EXQUISITELY BORED IN NACOGDOCHES

MIKE KELLEY
“Painting with Hawaiian Mask, Ballerina, and De Stijl Painting”, 1976
Mixed media on paper, 24 x 24 inches

UPDATE! New link: ROCK REPORT

BEACH BOYS BRITAIN Founding Beach Boy Al Jardine says that he'll team up with the group's co-founder Brian Wilson for various live dates and maybe even some recording this year. Jardine told LAUNCH that he'll be on hand for some benefits that Wilson has already committed to: ["He's got some charity work this year, apparently he's got some events that he's invited me along to do something, I guess on that level, but not financially or anything like that. It more of a charity work. And then we might do a couple of recordings together, 'cause, y'know he still really enjoys my voice. He thinks I have a good voice."]

Jardine had previously announced that he and Wilson, along with the group's Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, are in the talking stages about teaming up for a reunion show in Britain next fall to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their Pet Sounds album.

Jardine, Wilson, and Love each contributed a new solo track to the recent Beach Boys live hits collection, titled Songs From Here And Back.

There's still no word as to where or when the joint Wilson-Jardine appearances will take place.

So far, Wilson only has two shows booked for the remainder of the year. Wilson's only U.S. date is set for on July 1st in Las Vegas at The Club in the Cannery Casinos. After that, his next show will be on July 23rd at Australia's "Splendor In The Grass Festival" at Belongil Fields at Byron Bay.

Jardine will team up with original Beach Boys guitarist David Marks along with Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean for the "Cruisin' With The Legends Of Surf Music" cruise, set for October 2nd through 6th.

DAVID LEE MARKS