On This Day..
1968 – After 58 episodes, the final Monkees TV show airs on NBC. Since the its initial run, almost every major cable network has aired re-runs of the show, including a popular stint on CBS from 1969-1972.
1969 – Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Jefferson Airplane all appeared on the ABC TV Dick Cavett Show from Television Center in New York City.
1988 – ‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’ were announced as the most played jukebox songs of the first hundred years. The jukebox had been around since 1906, but earlier models had been first seen in 1889.
1999 – A TV ad featuring the late Linda McCartney urging a boycott of fishing was banned by the Advertising Clearance Centre in the UK.
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Brand New Music
By Jonathan Knox and Craig Clemens
Kiefer Sutherland | Down in a Hole
Going from Actor to Musician is never a safe move, so when the first lines on Kiefer Sutherland’s debut album, Down in a Hole, are “walking in the wrong direction” you kind of have to agree with him. It’s playing it safe that actually drags the album down (the album title is Down in a Hole after all). Very much a middle of the road country rock record, Sutherland’s vocals are gravelly, uninspired and plainly waltz through each song. Boring and predictable you will likely only enjoy this album if generic country rock is your thing, or if you’re a fan of Sutherland, chances are though, you’ll just forget about it.
Crystal Castles | Amnesty (I)
It’s been a tricky four-year break for Canadian electronic noise duo Crystal Castles. Having released their last album, III in 2012, we now have appropriately titled, Amnesty (I). Gone is original vocalist Alice Glass, and in her place is new singer Edith Frances. Unfortunately Frances’ vocals are much less alluring than Glass’ were. That said, the new album does retain the distorted dark sonic sounds of the bands past (particularly III) though it doesn’t bring much new to the table other than Frances. There are standouts such as the Knife-esque groove of “Char” and the bouncy “Frail” but most of it falls flat and feels overly-rehashed. The dystopian energy that used to fuel Crystal Castles now seems more paint by numbers than ever before.
Ryley Walker | Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
While Walker’s live shows remain a lighting rod of improvisation and creative energy he’s struggled to recreate this on record. This is generally not an uncommon occurrence. However, this is absolutely the high water mark for Walker. Golden Sings shows his knack for innovation and his mastery the jazzy-folk genre. From top to bottom this is a really well written record of eight nearly flawless tracks.
