Free Download: Peter Gabriel's "Flume"

Peter Gabriel recently released his new covers album Scratch My Back, which contains his interpretations of songs by Arcade Fire, David Bowie, Paul Simon and Regina Spektor. He also recorded a Bon Iver song "Flume" you can download for free.

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CD Review: David Bowie

David Bowie
A Reality Tour
ISO/Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu

Though not every great David Bowie song is represented here (i.e. "Space Oddity," "Modern Love," "Let’s Dance," "Golden Years," etc.), the set from the singer's 2003 Ireland shows is nevertheless a broad overview of the many eras in his eclectic music career. Not only does he cover the more familiar tunes (“Heroes,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Changes”) but also some back catalog stuff (“The Man Who Sold The World,” “Hang On To Yourself,” “Be My Wife”). There is an interesting reworking of “Loving the Alien” here, and even the more latter-day ‘90s and ‘00s fare like “Hallo Spaceboy” “Battle for Britain” and “Reality” make a strong case for a second listen. Bowie and band, especially guitarist Earl Slick and pianist Mike Garson, sounded really good here. This performance was previously released as a DVD; the audio includes five additional performances, among them are “China Girl” and “Breaking Glass.”

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CD Review: Avi Buffalo

Avi Buffalo
Avi Buffalo
Sub Pop
By David Chiu

The music from this Long Beach, California band's upcoming debut album seem to echo the trippy bands from the late ‘60s whose sound is heavy on atmosphere with some folk rock influences. (My pal Georgia made a comparison to Modest Mouse; I say a little bit of Love). What adds to Avi Buffalo’s distinct sound along with the angular guitar playing and jazzy keyboards is Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg’s singing: it has an androgynous, somewhat high-pitched, quality that is both emotive and intimately haunting. There’s a lot of strong tracks of note, especially the pop-friendly “What’s It In For"and the interestingly-titled “Summer Cum.”








Photos from Avi Buffalo's Bowery Ballroom show by David Chiu

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