I love it when the refs forget who a player is and actually make a correct call.

“You have your trademark play, and that’s one of my plays. It kind of looks like a travel because it’s slow, and it’s kind of a high-step, but it’s a one-two just as fluent as any other one-two in this league. I got the wrong end of it, but I think they need to look at it — and they need to understand that’s not a travel,” James said. “It’s a perfectly legal play, something I’ve always done.”

Dear LeBron, your trademark play is not a legal move.

Sedimental Records has just reissued Stars Of The Lid’s 1994 debut, Music For Nitrous Oxide. The album features a fresh master by SOTL’s Adam Wiltzie and updated artwork from Craig McCaffrey.

Press release:

STARS OF THE LID’S 1994 classic debut re-issued with new mastering and artwork!!

Stars of the Lid-Music for Nitrous Oxide compact disc, 79 minutes (sedcd023) first pressing 1000 copies. Full color digi-packs

Though Stars founder Adam Wiltzie has admittedly distanced himself from the release in terms of artistic terms he felt it was time to re-visit and re-fresh the work with a new mastering job, as well as having new artwork designed by longtime visual collaborator Craig McCaffrey. Sedimental has always kept the document in print in its original form with a remarkably steady stream of sales, but we welcomed the opportunity to update the release and make it more widely available to a new generation, so to speak.

I received this in the mail today and snapped a sketchy picture of the new artwork since I have yet to see it online. It is amazing how little attention SOTL’s releases before The Tired Sounds Of receive. That album is definitely a monument, but releases such as Music For Nitrous Oxide and 1997’s The Ballasted Orchestra are significant in their own right. Nitrous Oxide is SOTL in its rawest form, but it is a must for dedicated listeners, if only to understand where the road towards The Tired Sounds Of began.

Music For Nitrous Oxide is shipping now from Sedimental for $10 (including shipping). Hard to beat that.

Photo by Rod Blackhurst

Eric Bachmann and Crooked Fingers will ring in the new year with a two week tour in late January and early February. The tour will find Bachmann & co. opening for DeVotchKa, but the band has also scheduled a headlining show in Los Angeles on February 3rd at Bordello. Crooked Fingers released their latest album, Forfeit/Fortune in October. I really loved To The Races, Bachmann’s stripped-down solo album from 2006, so it was somewhat jarring to hear the large horn arrangements on Forfeit/Fortune. I’ve come around on it a little, but still believe that Bachmann is better off without the extra accoutrements. Click here to listen to a recent Daytrotter session that the band recorded and here for a new Bachmann interview featured on My Old Kentucky Blog.

1/27/09 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
1/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
1/29/09 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort & Casino - Grand Theatre
1/30/09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
1/31/09 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
2/3/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Bordello (901 E. 1st St.)*
2/4/09 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
2/5/09 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
2/6/09 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
2/8/09 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
2/9/09 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live - Studio
2/10/09 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues - Pontiac Garage

* denotes a headlining show. All other shows are with DeVotchKa.

Stream songs by Crooked Fingers at their MySpace.

Here’s my top eight of 2008, in alphabetical order (of course):

Andrew Morgan - Andrew Morgan (Independent)
This self titled effort from Lawrence, Kansas songwriter Andrew Morgan was first released by Moorworks in Japan in April. However, it is the digital version that Morgan released on his web site shortly after with a slightly different tracklisting that stands as the definitive version of his second full length. More accessible than its predecessor (2004’s wonderful Misadventures In Radiology), but by no means watered down, this is Andrew Morgan at the top of his game. Chamber pop may not be fashionable like it was at the start of this decade, but Morgan’s brilliant arrangements are breathing life into one of my favorite genres.

Benoît Pioulard - Temper (Kranky) (Original Review, Interview)
If you are a fan of Chicago’s Kranky label, then you have no excuse not to own this sophomore release from Benoît Pioulard. Temper isn’t necessarily new ground for Pioulard (real name Tom Meluch), serving instead as a pleasant extension of his 2006 debut, Précis. I struggle to think of another artist who is able to coherently blend melancholy folk with mesmerizing ambient instrumentals.

Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (Sub Pop) (Original Review)
Of all the artists in Sub Pop’s history, Chad VanGaalen is among the most peculiar. Fortunately, he is also one of their best talents in recent memory. This Calgary resident splits his time between his basement and the half-pipe in his back yard. While he’s in the basement, VanGaalen builds instruments by hand for future compositions. His third LP, Soft Airplane, is a complex beast that features many of his best songs released to date. Some of VanGaalen’s work is compared to Neil Young, but with each record he releases, it is obvious that he is slowly establishing his own DIY sound that is morbid, beautiful, and exciting.

Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling (Matador) (Original Review)
I wasn’t a big Mogwai fan prior to hearing The Hawk Is Howling, but they have my full attention now. The drones coming out of Glasgow are still splendid.

Portishead - Third (Mercury) (Original Review)
I always say that Portishead isn’t a band I listen to often, but when I do go back and listen to their albums, I regain my immense respect for their music. Third is the comeback album of the year and very few people will argue that. It is the album that I never thought would happen, an album that I had enormously low expectations for. I’m not sure how, but they’ve managed to stay relevant all these years later.

Spiritualized - Songs In A & E (Fontana Int’l)
He had to go through a series of near-death experiences beforehand, but Jason Pierce finally released a new Spiritualized record in 2008. His voice has clearly aged, diminishing the strength of his vocals at times, but this only adds to the haunting nature of the album. One of the most startling things about Songs In A & E is that it was written before Pierce’s bout with periorbital cellulitis and bilateral pneumonia. Pierce’s fixation on blues and soul music remains, but the compact construction of A & E makes it one of his most cohesive releases yet. A & E soars because Pierce has learned that less can be more.

The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave (Gravitation)
Refer to my post from 12/6/08.

TV On The Radio - Dear Science (DGC/Interscope)
Refer to my post from 12/9/08.

This is the first installment of I Overlooked You, a feature in which I make open apologies to bands I should have been covering a long time ago. It is a little embarrassing, but at least I am willing to admit my mistakes. Today’s apology is directed to TV On The Radio, who, in September, released their third LP, Dear Science. My friend Brian, a fellow Old Dominion graduate, wouldn’t leave me alone until I listened to this record. I recall listening to TVOTR’s last album, 2006’s Return To Cookie Mountain, and not really “getting it.” I am pleased to report that I was immediately entranced by Dear Science, so much so that I plan on revisiting their previous outings. It wasn’t fun going back to Brian and admitting that I was wrong, but he was glad that I had seen the light. What amazes me about Dear Science is how it is able to alternate between string-filled ballads and hyper anthems that blend rock, electronica, and R&B (see “The Golden Age” video below) seamlessly. The album is a mighty accomplishment and I wholeheartedly offer this apology to TVOTR for not giving them a fair shake.