Sorry there haven’t been more posts on this blog this week. We’ve been busy working on the next version of the Topspin platform and releasing tons of music. Things are boiling over today, though, so I wanted to take a moment to drop a few links into this blog post…
For those who missed it, back in 1999 Jimmy Eat World released an incredible record called Clarity which set the blueprint for a certain kind of rock (which will remain unnamed to prevent flames to the contrary in the comments). The record was mostly overlooked at the time but has grown in cult status in the ten years since. To commemorate its tenth anniversary, Jimmy Eat World did a ten city tour playing the record in its entirety. They recorded each show, but the hometown show in Arizona was so killer they ended up mixing and releasing it for all the fans worldwide who didn’t get a chance to catch it in-person. You can buy it direct from their Web site at JimmyEatWorld.com in a variety of formats, including 24-bit wav. Hell, even the Apple Lossless files are 24-bit. Huge downloads, yes, but also very high quality audio, preserving every bit from the mixdown. Not only that, they’re performing an encore performance streaming live from JimmyEatWorld.com tonight at 6pm PST via Ustream. It’s been incredible to watch the band accumulate more than 200K followers on Twitter in just the last 30 days. Check out the Twitter chatter about the album today. Incredible. It’s a brave new world.
Arcade Fire Miroir Noir Deluxe DVD Unboxing from ian rogers on Vimeo.
Speaking of Twitter, Trent Reznor twittered about the Arcade Fire DVD release on Sunday and drove a ton of RTs. It was very fun to watch all the interest one person with a large number of followers could drive, and with any luck we’ll post a follow-up on this effect over the next couple of weeks. Btw, the Arcade Fire deluxe DVD packages look great. I did an unboxing on my picnic table and posted it on YouTube.
What’s another word for pirate treasure? After the classic Paul’s Boutique, Beastie Boys were quiet for another three years. Since there were no live shows and the Internet was limited to a few of us on usenet, there was no outlet for those of us who were huge Paul’s Boutique fans to show our love. So when rumors of a new album were followed by the “Pass The Mic” video and single, we Beastie Boys fans awakened from our silence. Beastie Boys delivered again, another mold-breaking album overflowing with creativity, endless singles with enough songs on each to be considered EPs, and a never-ending two-year tour. On Check Your Head Beastie Boys redefined their own future. We were very proud to release a remastered version of Check Your Head last week in a variety of digital and physical formats, including lossless digital audio and a 4 LP cloth-bound vinyl box set including 16 b-sides and (optionally) iPhone-ready versions of every video from the album. Go check out what Entertainment Weekly called “their best record”, again. Also, they sold out of the t-shirts but you can still get the remastered Paul’s Boutique here.
Our friend Josh Freese is having quite a run with his “Since 1972″ release. If you haven’t already heard about this madness, check out the packages on JoshFreese.com, or these Wired interviews with Josh here and here. I love seeing that Josh is SOLD OUT of many of the high-end packages but what makes me even happier is watching the Twitter chatter and seeing that not only do people think the packages are funny they also LIKE THE ALBUM and are telling their friends to buy the music. It’s working, yo. I actually had the good fortune of meeting the purchaser of the $20K package on Sunday night and he’s a super cool guy who said he was having a ton of fun with Josh. Josh took him to a Vandals show on Sunday, then for pizza at Mark Mothersbaugh’s house (with a crazy view), then to the Puscifer show downtown. All of this before he even started on the promised package!
If you’ve been reading this blog for a few months then you might remember my plea to one of my favorite bands, Australia’s The Drones, to release direct-to-fan worldwide. So it was a big moment for me when I received an email from The Drones last night sending people to thedrones.com.au to purchase not just their latest record but their entire catalog, including a massive yet inexpensive package with vinyl of their latest along with digital versions of their incredible previous records for one low price. Wait Long By The River won Australia’s version of the Mercury Prize a few years back — if you like rock music, don’t sleep on these albums. IMHO the deluxe Drones package is the best value in rock.
Metric’s new album, Fantasies, finally dropped last week, along with a stunning video for “Gimme Sympathy” which is getting play everywhere I turn (in my house, at least — my two year old wants it on repeat). I can’t tell you what a joy it’s been to work with such a forward-thinking band and management team on an extremely well-run campaign. Their digital, CD, and vinyl offerings are amazing and the pre-sale was a success (sold out of the deluxe packages in less than two weeks). It’s incredibly rewarding to work with bands people are passionate about, and to say Metric is such a band is an understatement. Stream the video and entire album above. They are the future in so many ways. We love you, too, Metric.
Jay Reatard resurrected Shattered Records and is now offering a subscription service. For $75 you get Jay’s next Matador album, two 7″s, a t-shirt, and tons of digital goodies. The perfect outlet for the underground’s best and most prolific.
I have to say I’m really impressed with how Riverboat Gamblers manage their Web site and MySpace. Great design, and great use of the Topspin tools. Thanks much, y’all.
This month also saw Topspin releases from The Decemberists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tom Peloso, Japanese Motors, Buddyhead, Lionsgate Music, Corbin Bleu, A.i., Jacob Fred, and The Do to name a few. Sorry I can’t write a paragraph about each one of you. It’s truly an honor to work with each of you.
Until soon,
ian c rogers
Topspin
ps – I’m speaking at Dave Hyman’s Music Technomica in San Francisco tonight (Tuesday, April 7th). It’s invite-only but if you’d like an invite Tweet to @iancr and I’ll send you the info.
Pingback: Pages tagged “the decemberists”
Congrats on The Do, I have been following them for about a year and was getting frustrated that not enough people over here were able to experience them. Good ears.
Jimmy Eat World live player embed should be playing last recorded vid now.
Wow, Topspin is getting busy!
Pingback: Pages tagged “jimmy eat world”