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Goldstein had battled an addiction to crack cocaine throughout his early 20’s, but in an interview in 2007 he claimed to have been clear of it for the last 9 years and had recently twittered about just completing a reality show for MTV about drug addiction.

Last September, he and Travis Barker of Blink 182 survived a plane crash that killed four others. The crash happened as the private plane was heading down the runway for take-off, both Goldstein and Barker were badly burnt.

A former member of the group Crazytown, Goldstein was well known for his high-profile romances including Nicole Richie, Mandy Moore and playmate ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Friends of Goldstein in the New York area gathered outside his apartment while other across the globe showed their respects, flooding the social network Twitter with messages.

Speaking of Twitter, Goldstein’s last post before this tragedy quoted Grandmaster Flash lyrics. “New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.”

A rep for DJ AM just issued the following statement: “Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was found deceased this afternoon in his New York City apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time.”

DJ AM is also set to be featured in the upcoming game DJ Hero, scheduled for release on October 27^th.

Hiatus is defined as an interruption in the intensity or amount of something, a missing piece, as a gap in a manuscript or a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure.

Musically, it is the term that has been used a lot recently by bands as opposed to the term break –up. Notably Blink 182 reminded everyone that they were never broken up, they were just on hiatus, until a plane crashed, some people died, Barker got burnt and they realized how much fun/how much money playing together again would mean.

For a much smaller number of devoted fans than felt the pain of the Blink hiatus, The 23rd day of August, in the year of our Lord 2009, the Matches played their final show before embarking on a hiatus of their own.

While the news did sadden many, it came with one bonus. The band chose to digitally release an album composed of some unreleased demos, most of which were to compose their new album and a few acoustics.

To start with, this is an album that the band claims to have put out for the fans who were unhappy with the bands decision to walk away, and that really is who this album is aimed at. Let’s face it though as far as the Matches are concerned you’ve either loved them or hated them, and I don’t think they’ve ever topped anyone’s list of highly accessible artists.

The Matches have always had a bouncy, unique sound that managed to be different than the majority of pop-punk? bands out there, while still sticking very close to their East Bay sound. Their first proper release, 2033’s E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals, was at once frenetic and vocally caustic managing to mix a harsh tone with poetic lyrics, and songs like The Restless, Chain Me Free and Eryn Smith caught on with fans while the track Sick Little Suicide pointed at the incredible potential the band of odd looking, odd play, odd sounding Oaklanites actually possessed.

The band followed up Von Dahl with 2006’s all over the map style wise release Decomposer. The band recorded with nine different producers including the likes of Rancid and the Transplants Tim Armstrong, Nick Hexum from 311, and yes amber is the colour of his energy, woah-oo, and Blink and Plus 44(as if they actually matter anymore) frontman Mark Hoppus. The songs ranged from opening track Salty Eyes, a sad and lilting waltz, to the faster paced power-punk of Clumsy Heart and the just plain awesome Sunburn Vs. The Rhinovirus. All the songs were tied together through the bands unique style and lead singer Shawn Harris’s uncanny ability to make the deeper than their genre lyrics dance like puppets on coke.

In 2008 they put out what would be their last proper release, baring a cessation to their hiatus, A Band In Hope. Once again, they worked with a number of producers in order to put out a cacophony of tracks that range from the deep, Build A Mountain, to the beautiful, Clouds Crash, to the moving, We Are One, to the catchy as all hell, Yankee In A Chip Shot, to the just plain odd Between Halloween’s. Hope was a definite success for the band artistically, as it showcased all of their talents and managed to tie it into a much more cohesive package than either of their first two albums could boast.

Now, as fans lament the hiatus they have The Matches album 4, unreleased; graphics? title? or not needed? Obviously, as it essentially an unfinished album, it remains under produced, and therefore it is hard to hold it up the bands previous outings. However tracks like Like Yesterday and Wicked Walk showcase the bands style and Harris’s lyrical wit, while My Doe 1 adds a nice acoustic cap to the festivities that more than make up for the albums low point 50 Altered states.

If you’re a fan check it out, and if you’re not, well you can still check it out, but you may want to give A Band In Hope or Decomposer a spin first.

Fear not though, for in the music industry the word Hiatus has another meaning; new project. Shawn Harris has teamed with Jake Grigg to create Maniac and Jon Devoto has formed Bird by Bird, and logic says that both new bands have got to be better than Angels and Airwaves.

The Matches – Like Yesterday
The Matches – My Doe, Part 1 (acoustic)

Brother Ali announces the release of his new album “Us” on September 22, 2009 from Rhymesayers Entertainment.

According to the Rhymesayers website “Ali has turned his gaze inward, and started examining the human condition from the outside in. A profound personal glimpse into a vulnerability seldom seen or heard in music, Us touches on the strengths and flaws of the human condition, exploring drug abuse, divorce, homophobia and many more topics that most people are scared to touch in their own lives, much less on an album for the world to see.”

Ant is again the man behind the production and “Us” will feature appearances by Chuck D, Freeway, Joell Ortiz and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition. Also, a tour for this release will be rolling through Vancouver and Victoria this October with label mates BK One, Toki Wright and Evidence of Dilated Peoples (who recently signed to Rhymesayers).

Visit www.fifthelementonline.com to pre-order your copy.

Full tour date listings:

09.22 – Duluth, MN – Pizza Luce
09.23 – Mankato, MN – What’s Up Lounge
09.24 – Iowa City, IA – The Industry
09.25 – Sioux Falls, SD – Nutty’s North (Outside)
09.26 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
09.27 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
09.29 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
09.30 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
10.01 – Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep
10.02 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
10.03 – Boise, ID – The Venue
10.04 – Missoula, MT – The Badlander
10.06 – Spokane, WA – The Boulevard
10.07 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
10.08 – Victoria, BC – Element
10.09 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
10.10 – Bellingham, WA – The Nightlight
10.11 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
10.12 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
10.14 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt State University
10.15 – Reno, NV – The New Oasis
10.16 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
10.17 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
10.18 – Santa Clara, CA – Avalon Nightclub
10.20 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
10.21 – San Diego, CA – Cane’s
10.22 – Tempe, AZ – Club Red
10.23 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
10.24 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
10.26 – Lubbock, TX – The Foundation
10.27 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
10.28 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounging
10.29 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
11.01 – Orlando, FL – The Social
11.04 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
11.05 – Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
11.06 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
11.07 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
11.08 – Boston, MA – The Paradise
11.09 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
11.10 – Portland, ME – The Asylum
11.11 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street
11.13 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
11.14 – Columbus, OH – Skully’s Music Diner
11.15 – Louisville, KY – Uncle Pleasants
11.17 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig
11.18 – Chicago, IL – Metro
11.19 – Madison, WI – Barrymore Theatre
11.20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

Rhymesayers has also released the title track for free download

Brother Ali – Us
Brother Ali – Lookin’ At Me Sideways off ‘The Undisputed Truth’ album

I should really temper expectations with music videos. Only a handful a year are good so I guess I should just hold myself back a little .

I shouldn’t be mad and they are in the ocean while it rains in an awful background while the band just plays. It does afterall go with their song. I guess my problem, is that the song while average does have more energy then the band is showing. The band is bored in the middle of the ocean while playing…. I do dig Alex Turner’s hairstyle actually seems sexy (no homo) and makes it look a older as he’s a bit of babyface. Yeah, I’ve got nothing left to talk about. Video is very meh.

Check out the video:

Crying Lightning by Arctic Monkeys

Anyway, the album predictably leaked. Bloggers putting up mp3s will get this message. I feel like after being bossed around by RoadRunner records, I’d want to leak Arctic Monkey’s record (just to receive such a nice message lol). That message is both pure class and so respectful – that’s one way of handling it and people do respect your wishes if you are nice about it. Considering we don’t leak material ever, I guess I’ll go on being deceitful. (I’m not dropping this topic, I’ll take my shots at RR where I can).

Still, Humbug – awful title aside is an album worth checking out in my opinion. At least expect the blogosphere to have their panties in a bunch over this album regardless.

It’s been a looooooong time running and while I could add to my resume that I started a website that has achieved a million hits. I don’t really see it as a major accomplishment. I really just want to hit 2 million hits now and maybe 5 million hits. Will it happen? Who knows but I’ll just pat myself on the back while I constantly battle negative commenters .

It’s almost been two full years since the site launched and while it’s been a success so far. I’m always looking to update it and improve it. I still get emails asking to blog on their artist on my blog Allan’s World of Music. Hopefully we’re a LONG WAY past that .

While I just finish up this post…I’ve realized how lame it’s become… so here’s a 3 track playlist about anything being a million:

A Million Ways by Ok Go
If I Had A Million Dollars by Bare Naked Ladies
How I Made My Millions by Radiohead

In early 2009 N.A.S.A (North America/South America) dropped a bomb on the Hip Hop scene. Their debut album ‘The Spirit Of Apollo’ destroyed all barriers of collaborative work as we know it, fusing the stylings of Brazilian Funk sampling with North American Hip Hop production – as well as combining artists from all across the musical map. Slick Rick being paired with the distorted growlings of Tom Waits, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O blasting out a chorus on a track featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard (R.I.P) and Fatlip. George Clinton, Seu Jorge and John Frusciante make appearances alongside emcees Method Man, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, M.I.A and Chuck D…. But this is just a taste of the artists associated with this album.

With it’s tight production, laundry list of talent and exploration of new direction, this album has blown up and a remix album is already in the works. Also announced is a documentary on the making of ‘The Spirit Of Apollo’ which takes a look into the idea behind the spark of it’s creation and five year development, interviews with the artists and studio sessions as they travel across North and South America. There’s also a look at the concept behind the collaboration in the making of the music videos, which blend stylings of fine art and bring them to life through animation.

I haven’t been able to find a release date for this documentary yet, but keep your eyes open. As far as the album goes…. Pick this shit up, you will not be sorry.

N.A.S.A. – N.A.S.A. Music (feat. Method Man, E-40 & DJ Swamp)
N.A.S.A. – Spacious Thoughts (feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith)

This story probably does more for M83’s fanbase. Hey he might be the first person to jump in a fight if you were getting beaten or hey even scream “Don’t tase my fans bro”. You know that by being an m83 fan, he really coverts you. Perhaps a kick or even a slap is quite hilarious but damn, it is more badass then Alice from Crystal Castles just drunkenly (or being high on other drugs) kicking security guards for no apparent reason.

Either way, my respect level for Anthony Gonzalez went way up even though it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

You, Appearing by M83

Via Pitchfork.

I might be armed with an SLR tomorrow, provided I learn how to use it at this point in time. So I should have some really awesome photos.

I just got Cass McCombs record in the mail, just a day before the concert so I have a slight chance to soak him in. The Walkmen don’t need an introduction

Some mp3s:
In The New Year by The Walkmen
Canadian Girl by The Walkmen
You Saved My Life by Cass McCombs
Dreams Come True Girl by Cass McCombs ft. Karen Black

Here’s a preview of what we could have in store for tomorrow:
(more…)

I’ve been a fan of the Beastie Boys as long as I’ve known about hip hop, being that they were the first well known white emcees to make any sort of name for themselves, I could always feel where they were coming from. Although first seen as a joke, they never lost their drive, integrity and dedication to the scene and always pushed the envelope with new elements of sound – a continual progression, not only as artists, but also people. Yes, they started with a somewhat chauvinistic approach in their raps, but they later grew more and more consciously aware of the issues that effect humanity on all levels, growing to better themselves while also helping make the world better as a whole…. Efforts always made to open people’s awareness and form strong ties of unity throughout cultures and borders.

With this being said, it comes as a shock to hear that the Beastie Boys are having to cancel shows and are pushing back a release date for their new album, as Adam Yauch (better known as MCA) has recently been diagnosed with cancer in a gland on his neck. According to reports, he will be having surgery next week to have the tumor removed and will undergo radiation therapy. On a positive note, scans have revealed it was caught early enough and is centralized to that location and most often is a very treatable with little to no expectations of redevelopment.

I would like to send much respect, love and well wishes his way and I look forward to being able to see the Beastie Boys again very soon and stronger than ever.

For updates be sure to check out www.beastieboys.com.

Beastie Boys – Sabotage (Streetlab Mix)

Elliott BROOD – Mountain Meadows
(Toronto, ON)

Fucked Up – The Chemistry Of Common Life
(Toronto, ON)

Great Lake Swimmers – Lost Channels
(Toronto, ON)

Hey Rosetta! – Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood)
(St. John’s, NF)

K’NAAN – Troubadour
(Toronto, ON)

Malajube – Labyrinthes
(Montréal, QC)

Metric – Fantasies
(Toronto, ON)

Joel Plaskett – Three
(Halifax, NS)

Chad VanGaalen – Soft Airplane
(Calgary, AB)

Patrick Watson – Wooden Arms
(Montréal, QC)

I don’t have much to say right now. If looking at the list, for sure one would say the black sheep would be Hey! Rosetta. However, they are from a smaller city and do have a smaller fanbase – so let’s not play critic bully yet. Now I’m going to check out the record personally. At least the band should be signed by now.

Another criticism, regional bias will always be part of these discussions. This time Toronto dominates the list with 5 out of 10 nominees. I wasn’t happy with all the Montreal bands on the shortlist and this time, there are just too many Toronto bands. Being from Toronto, we’re not that great and if anything the place I live in Jane-and-Finch (or “University Heights”) lacks a ton of musical diversity (esp. if York University wasn’t nearby). That’s another post for another day.

In the lead?
For sure it’s Chad VanGaalen’s Soft Airplane. In a way with a seemingly weak shortlist – I really believe it’s down to Fucked Up and CVG.

I don’t really have any “clear” problems with the shortlist. Is it as strong as I’d like it to be? Absolutely not. Should be fun regardless. I guess I’ll throw it out there: another conspiracy theory is that the Gala would have the likes of Metric to spice up the event. I was on the fence on whether it belonged on the longlist so yeah. All I’ll say is: Canada has a vast amount of music and winning isn’t everything. Being nominated isn’t everything (even if it increases album sales – that’s a superficial way of receiving new fans). Tons of great albums that fall through the cracks and the winner’s album may not even be the year’s best when people look back in time.

Go Chad VanGaalen nonetheless .

(No mp3s: I’ve used my fair share already)