all five horizons

Ok so *maybe* I first found out who this guy was watching Poo Tree Hill and *maybe* I thought the title song was pretty cool and then *maybe* I decided to buy his latest album after hearing this song in a much later episode of One Poo Hill but now that I have heard the album, I am relieved to hear that his talents go beyond bakcing music for One Tree Poo*.

I love the bluesy quality of his voice and whilst the music may stray into Maroon 5 territory, I think he seems a bit cool than that. Feel free to disagree. I may even try to get to see him when his tour comes to London or Manchester in November. If I can persuade ricardo, that is.

*These names are said with love and affection. I sure do love that melodramtic pile of poo.

Not new but new to me: I discovered Paramore at the MTV Video Music Awards.  I love this song.

I received Cat Power’s album Jukebox for my birthday and listened to it this morning on the way to work. I love it already. The album is nearly all covers with my favourites (so far) being Silver Stallion and Chan Marshall’s (aka Cat Power) own song Metal Heart. I also really liked her version of Blue which is not surprising given that I love Joni Mitchell too. I am really looking forward to getting to know this album better. Here is Silver Stallion:

The full album listing is as follows (thanks to Wikipedia):

1. “New York” (John Kander, Fred Ebb - Popularized by Liza Minnelli in 1977 and Frank Sinatra in 1980
2. “Ramblin’ (Wo)man” (Hank Williams) - Originally released by Williams in 1953 and 1976
3. “Metal Heart” (Chan Marshall) - Previous version appears on Cat Power’s 1998 album Moon Pix
4. “Silver Stallion” (Lee Clayton) - First appears on Clayton’s 1978 album Border Affair; later popularized by The Highwaymen in 1990
5. “Aretha, Sing One for Me” (J Harris, Eugene Williams) - Originally released by George Jackson in 1972[1]
6. “Lost Someone” (James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Lloyd Stallworth) - Originally released by James Brown & the Famous Flames in 1961
7. “Lord, Help the Poor and Needy” (Jessie Mae Hemphill) - Recorded by Jessie Mae Hemphill in either 1979 or the early 1980s, released on her 2004 album, Get Right Blues
8. “I Believe in You” (Bob Dylan) - Originally released on Dylan’s 1979 album Slow Train Coming
9. “Song to Bobby” (Chan Marshall, Matt Sweeney) - The sole original recording on the album
10. “Don’t Explain” (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday) - Originally released by Billie Holiday
11. “A Woman Left Lonely” (Spooner Oldham, Dan Penn) - Originally released by Ella Brown and popularised by Janis Joplin on her (posthumous) 1971 album, Pearl
12. “Blue” (Joni Mitchell) - Originally released by Mitchell on her 1971 album Blue
13. “Breathless” (Nick Cave) - Originally released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on their 2004 album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus

Just heard some exciting news about Zach De La Rocha and his new band, One Day As A Lion: 

ONE DAY AS A LION, the project featuring Zach De La Rocha (vocalist for RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and Jon Theodore (former drummer of THE MARS VOLTA) has inked a deal with Anti Records. The group’s eponymous debut EP is scheduled for release on July 22.

ONE DAY AS A LION’s sound is described in a press release as “a defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask.

source via Rolling Stone

Describing the sound as a “defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare” is in no way pretentious, is it?  Hee!  In any case, I just had a gander at their MySpace page and as yet, no music is uploaded.  Their website just plays static, presumably to intrigue and build the excitement.  It’s working, I guess.  All this means is that I haven’t heard anything yet but I will keep you posted.  I will leave you with this final thought from the band:

One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept.

Ok then.  I’ll consider myself warned and promised I guess.