Orange Alert's Music Minute

1. Dirty Projectors announced the details of their latest album this week. Dirty Projectors is the project of Dave Longstreth, with a rotating cast of characters supporting him. The band will release its fourth full-length, Rise Above, on the newly launched Dead Oceans label, on Sept. 11. On the album, Longstreth re-imagines songs from one of the most beloved albums of his youth, Black Flag's Damaged. It should be made clear that this is NOT a covers album.

Rise Above Track list:
What I See/No More/Depression/Six Pack/Thirsty and Miserable/Police Story/Gimme Gimme Gimme/Spray Paint (The Walls)/Room 13/Rise Above

Check out: No More (mp3)

2. Jens Lekman announced that the first single from his, yet to be name, new LP will be "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo". The single will be available for digital download on July 31st or you can puchase the 7" directly from Jens via his website. The 7" will feature the exclusive b-side "Radio NRJ". Jens descibes the b-side like this: "The B-side 'Radio NRJ' sounds less like it's title. It's more of a friday night spent inside. The top 20 of september 1994 recorded on a C-90 cassette. The tears streaming down your face." The artwork for the 7" was done by Karin Cyrén.

3. Z-Trip has been asked to do the soundtrack to 2k Sports, All-Pro Footbal 2K8, and he really pulled out all the stops. The soundtrack will be released separately, and will feature Rakim, Chali 2na, Lateef, Slug, and more. Z-Trip's soundtrack will be released by Decon records next month, and it will correspond with the release of the game. Once the album is out Z-Trip will embark on a next wide tour, please go to his website for updates on tour dates and times.



4. The Peel Back: The Creatures "Boomerang"
On the heels of the news that we will be treated to a new Siouxsie Sioux album this fall, I felt it was a good time to dig to the bottom of closet and start a new weekly segment entitled "The Peel Back". Each week I will pull out an release from years past and share some thoughts and sounds.

In 1989, Siouxsie and Budgie (The Creatures) decided to record their follow-up to their successful debut album, 1983's "Feast", in Spain. They had previously record their debut in Hawaii, and the sound of that album was heavily influenced by its surrounding. The same holds true on Boomerang with tracks like Morrina, Strolling Wolf, Simoom and Fruitman detailing their experiences in Spain. The instrumentation on this album is percussion heavy and horn laden, creating a great rhythm, and a true sense of being in a different land. It is truly an exotic experience.

The main single on this album was "Standing There" (The verbal abuse and misplaced bravado of & from men mainly towards women. "It's about the direct contact you get on the street, it's not just verbal abuse anymore. You see them up ahead and wonder, 'Should I cross over the road or turn around and go back?' (Budgie) Source: Record Mirror 11/11/89.) and it reached #53 on the UK charts. "Fury Eyes" (Inspired by the novel In The Eyes Of Mr. Fury, by Phillip Ridley) was also released as single, but it failed to chart.

Listen to:
Standing There (mp3)
Pity (mp3)
Fury Eyes (mp3)
Untiedundone (mp3)

Boomerang (Geffen Records, 1989) (currently out-of-print)
Standing There/Manchild/You!/Pity/Killing Time/Willow/Pluto Drive/Solar Choir/Speeding/Fury Eyes/Fruitman/Untiedundone/Simoom/Strolling Wolf/Venus Sands/Morrina



5. Lollapalooza Band of the Week: Mickey Avalon
He claims to be the boy next door who was always listening to records and bothering little girls. One day he disappears and you don't hear from him for years. Hollywood, CA is claiming the dirty laid back flow of Mickey Avalon. If Tim Fite lost his edge, watched Jerry Springer for a year straight, and dropped the country bit then he would be Mickey Avalon. What I am saying is Mickey has chops, but he has nothing to say and in turn says nothing. There is always a market for mindless hip-hop, but I take mine with a bit of intelligence thrown in the mix. Mr. Avalon released his self-titled debut album last November on Interscope/Shoot to Kill Records. Mickey is playing the Mindfield stage on Friday Aug. 3rd from 7 - 8pm, and going up against LCD Soundsystem. So I wish him luck, but I will have to pass at Lollapalooza. Check out: Jane Fonda (mp3) and Hustlers Hall of Fame (mp3)