New Jimmy Eat World Song: My Best Theory

The new Jimmy Eat World single, 'My Best Theory' is available for streaming over at the band's official website.  You can also listen to it over at MySpace.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it: I like the riff but the whole thing sounds a bit over-produced.

My Morning Jacket: Two New Songs

Above is a live performance by My Morning Jacket of a new song, 'Circuital', performed at San Diego's open air theatre on August 11th.  The track is likely to feature on the band's next album along with another new tune, 'Friends Again', which you can listen to by clicking below.

My Morning Jacket - 'Friends Again' (live)


I heard about both songs over at Stereogum who heard about them over at You Ain't No Picasso.  I hope you enjoy them (thrice removed).

Tom Gabel Performs White Crosses in a Canoe

Below is a clip of Tom Gabel from Against Me! performing an acoustic version of the title track from the band's latest album, White Crosses, in a canoe of all places.  The video is taken from the Norwegian website NRK and was filmed during this year's oyafestivalen in Oslo.

I don't think I have ever seen an acoustic-canoe performance before and, have to say, I rather enjoyed it.

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

The Arcade Fire have returned with their third album, The Suburbs, and after living with it for a couple of weeks now, I feel settled in and ready to give some thoughts on it.

Just like their two previous albums, The Suburbs doesn't disappoint.  However, it did at first, a little.  On the initial couple of listens, the album felt flat, lacking the energy and anthemic sound we have come to expect from the band.


But that's the problem, isn't it?  Expectations.

There is no 'Wake Up' on The Suburbs; no instant anthemic gratification.  But why should there be?  Progress should be strived for in whatever you pursue -  especially if it's music - and that's what the Arcade Fire have reached for and achieved with The Suburbs.

In a way, the slightly subdued nature of the album reflects the core subject matter of the album - life in the sprawling suburbs and nostalgia for a childhood spent there.  This is also reflected sonically, where the sound, at times, leans towards the 80's, undoubtedly a time when most of the band members were in their youth, and a musical period that provides inspiration.

I said earlier, that there are no high points on first listening, no anthemic moments.  Truth is, they are there, they just take a little longer to discover and sink in - surely the sign of an album with depth and longevity.

For example, 'Month of May' begins with a riff that wouldn't be out of place on a (good) Queens of the Stone Age album, and sonically 'Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains)' lies somewhere between Blondie and French electro-pop (I am cringing as I type).

If anything, The Suburbs, in its entirety, is an anthem: to the suburbs, to lost youth, and, most importantly, to the 'album' genre itself.  Each song flows into the next and, although they can easily be taken on their own, when placed together the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, connecting into a wonderful artistic statement.  How refreshing in an age where digital downloads - specifically the ability to pick and choose your favorite tracks - is eroding the albums place within music.

The Suburbs is a breath-taking LP, a contender for record of the year, and the album to cement the Arcade Fire's place in the annuls of music history.  I cannot wait to see them live again when they return to Scotland in December.


Below is a clip of 'We Used to Wait' from the band's recent performance at Madison Square Garden, New York City.  Enjoy.

Android 2.1 on Orange HTC Hero

If, like me, you are tied up with a long-term contract from Orange you will be relieved to know that you can now, finally, get the over-the-air update to Android 2.1.  And I must say, it is a vast improvement.  Here are the steps I took to get the ball rolling.

I couldn't find any information on the Orange website about the update, so, after some internet searching, I decided to try moving the date forward in my settings: bingo, things started happening.

Firstly, make sure you are connected to the internet, preferably via a wireless hotspot as the download, which is in two stages, is quite large.  Navigate to your Hero's settings menu and then to the date and time section.  Untick the box that says 'Automatic, use network-provided values', then move the date forward by one year.

Shortly after doing this you should receive a pop-up on screen from HTC asking if you want to download and install an update which you accept.  After this first part has installed, which takes a few minutes and updates the you tube app, go back to the settings menu and re-tick the box to get 'network-provided values' for the date and time.

What you will notice is that you now have a new option in the settings menu to check for software updates.  After a couple of minutes click on this option and you should get another pop-up asking if you want to install a further update which, again, you should accept.  This second part took between 10 and 15 minutes to download and install.

And that's it.  Android 2.1 should be up and running.  What's great about this update is that it doesn't delete any of your saved data, such as contacts and text messages.  What you might want to do (which I didn't!) is make sure your current scene, if customized, is saved as you will be put back to one of the default scenes.

You are now ready to enjoy Android 2.1 which is faster, slicker (check out the zoom function on the home screen), and has more apps available, including the official IMDB and Amazon Kindle ones.

This method worked for me but I have no idea if it will work for others but I'm sure it will.  Good luck.