Still brutal -- and baked -- after all these years,
Melvins are back this Tuesday with
Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust, a live opus that squeals and cascades with the sickest guitar tones in memory. The Ipecac Records release finds the buzzsaw trio, now featuring Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle on bass, performing their own
Houdini album from 1993, a nifty feat that won the band praise after trying it out at last year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival. One cover oddity absolutely slays the original in a wall of bent, grunge-out guitar -- "Going Blind" from KISS' third album,
Hotter Than Hell. ...
Death Cab For Cutie's recent DVD, Directions, is "visual version" of their Plans CD from last year. The Atlantic Records' release plays out the album's 11 tracks in order, each with a video by a talented list of established and emerging directors and animators. Packed with bonuses and an interview with the band talking about the project, the narrative and experimentally abstract clips flow together nicely with recurring thematic images of childhood, light and darkness. Highlights include "Your Heart Is An Empty Room," animated in black and white by underground cartoonist and Ignatz Award nominee Jeffery Brown, "Crooked Teeth," brought to life in stop-motion animation featuring cardboard robots, pirates and buried treasure, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," exploring an artists' sketchbook of playful bunnies, and the beating heart in "Someday You Will Be Loved," bleeding, burnt and bruised. ...
In other DVD news, Shout Factory is releasing the fourth season of the cult cartoon show Home Movies next week, featuring They Might Be Giants as music camp counselors in the episode "Camp." The three-DVD set also contains commentary from The Shins, Modest Mouse and editors of The Onion. ...
Sub Pop Records hasn't forgotten about the video medium either, as the recent compilation DVD, Acquired Taste, shines in the glory of Iron & Wine, Low, Sleater-Kinney and Mudhoney. Two of the 25 videos have cool comedy connections -- The Postal Service's "We Will Become Silhouettes" is directed by Jared Hess of Napoleon Dynamite, while the Helio Sequence's "Don't Look Away" is helmed by Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen.
Television Alert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Hoobastank Friday. The Late Show with David Letterman presents Van Hunt Friday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Common Wednesday, Wilco Friday, Billy Joel Monday and Jewel on Tuesday. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson features Chris Isaac Wednesday and Rock Kills Kid Friday. Jimmy Kimmel Live has Taking Back Sunday Friday. And Saturday Night Live's musical guest is Paul Simon.
New Releases Coming Tuesday
As I Lay Dying - A Long March: The First Recordings (Metal Blade) 22-track collection; Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell, Music For the Masses and Violator (Rhino) expanded "deluxe edition" CD reissues, each featuring a bonus DVD with 5.1 audio mix and a documentary film; Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind and Where You Been (Rhino) expanded reissues from 1991 and 1993; Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem (Relapse) also available in a limited edition gatefold LP edition on colored vinyl; Faun Fables The Transit Rider (Drag City) on tour now in support of this Rock Opera set on a moving locomotive; Fish - Return to Childhood (Snapper) two-CD set from last year's tour, performing Marillion's classic Misplaced Childhood album for the first time in two decades; Hillstomp - The Woman That Ended the World (Hillstomp) hip-shakin', hopped-up Roots Rock, reminiscent of the Violent Femmes if they grew up under the hot Mississippi sun, featuring covers of Fred McDowell's "You Done Told Everybody" and Muddy Waters' "Can't Be Satisfied"; Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (Island); Mason Jennings - Boneclouds (Glacial Pace/Epic) label debut of this new imprint created by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, named for his Glacial Pace recording studio in Oregon; Mouth of the Architect/Kenoma - Split (Translation Loss) split CD EP from these two Dayton bands, featuring Mouth of the Architect's 17-minute "Sleepwalk Powder"; Mower - Not For You (Suburban Noize) featuring their wild cover of The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreaming"; Over the Hedge - original motion picture soundtrack (Epic) featuring a cover of The Clash favorite "Lost In the Supermarket" by Ben Folds; The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (Third Man V2); Radio 4 "Enemies Like This" (Astralwerks) new 7-inch and CD single; Run Run Run - Endless Winter (Majestic) featuring cool cover of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You"; look for the first pressing to include a bonus CD of remixes from David J. and Z-Trip; Amy Speace - Songs for Bright Street (Wildflower) with guest fiddler Soozie Tyrell of the E-Street Band and Gary Louris of The Jayhawks, and an AltCountry version of Blondie's "Dreaming"; Twilight Singers - Powder Burns (One Little Indian) with guests Ani DiFranco, Joseph Arthur and former Afghan Whigs bandmate John Curley; The Wedding Present - Search For Paradise: Singles 2004-5 (Manifesto) CD and DVD set featuring acoustic versions of three songs; Whitestar - Luv Machine (Contango) featuring Dickey Betts Jr. on guitar, and a cover of Bill Withers' "Use Me."
