January 30, 2008

CDs Out Today and a Word from Critics

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mojo-photo-cds.jpgIt’s Tuesday, and that’s when people like to put out new CDs in the US of A, for whatever reason. Yeah, with the intertubes leaking music all over the place, release dates are less and less relevant, for sure; but say you accidentally stumbled into a record store (or ran inside to get out of the rain)? Here’s what you might find, and what people are saying:

mojo-cover-vampire.jpgVampire Weekend
S/T (XL)
Mega-hyped New Yorkers play Afro-pop
“Refreshing” – Pitchfork
“Sunny” – Billboard

Vampire Weekend – “Mansard Roof,” official video:

mojo-cover-mars.jpgThe Mars Volta
The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal)
Long Beach prog/punk/Latin project gets spookier
“Terrifying” – NPR
“Eccentric” – LA Times

The Mars Volta – “Conjugal Burns,” audio only:

mojo-cover-jackson.jpgJoe Jackson
Rain (Ryko)
Legendary pianist (and smoking enthusiast) returns
“Gorgeous” – BBC
“Solid” – My Old Kentucky Blog

Joe Jackson “Making of the record Rain“:

mojo-cover-cheb.jpgCheb i Sabbah
Devotion (Six Degrees)
San Francisco DJ explores central Asia
“Tripped-out” – LAist
“Compelling” – Allaboutjazz.com

Cheb i Sabbah promo video:

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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