Everyone has had Led Zeppelin on the brain since the three surviving members performed their first proper show in 27 years earlier this month, and with each new day there are new rumors about what Zeppelin will be up to next. Some sources say that they're considering a tour, many think that they'll take over Bonnaroo in '08, and there's even talk that Dave Grohl might come aboard as a drummer for the legendary band. At this point everything is a rumor, but it's more than enough to stir the pot and generate some excitement. These dudes are getting old and it would be epic to see them give it one last big push while they've still got warm blood pumping through their veins.

A few months ago I came across this compilation of songs that gives you a chance to hear a lot of the old stuff that influenced Led Zeppelin's sound. Simply titled "Roots Of Led Zeppelin", the 25-track collection includes old blues standards from artists like Blind Willie Johnson, Leadbelly and Robert Johnson, along with classics from The Yardbirds, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and so on. Everyone knows that Zeppelin borrowed from all sorts of stuff when they were creating music, and this is a look into some of it. You can preview a few mp3s below, and download the whole compilation right here.

Roots of Led Zeppelin:

1. Sonny Boy Williamson - "Bring It On Home"
2. Bukka White - "Shake 'Em On Down"
3. Bert Jansch - "Blackwaterside"
4. Davey Graham - "She Moved Thru The Bizarre/Blue Ragga"
5. Spirit - "Taurus"
6. Memphis Minnie - "When The Levee Breaks"
7. Leadbelly - "The Gallis Pole"
8. Blind Willie Johnson - "In My Time Of Dying"
9. Robert Johnson - "Travelling Riverside Blues"
10. Josh White - "Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dying Bed"
11. Owen Hand - "She Likes It"
12. John Redbourn - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
13. Bert Jansch - "The Waggoner's Lad"
14. John Fahey - "Dance Of The Inhabitants..."
15. Santo & Johnny - "Summertime"
16. The Yardbirds - "Knowing That I'm Losing You"
17. Small Faces - "You Need Loving"
18. Howlin' Wolf - "Killing Floor"
19. Spirit - "Fresh Garbage"
20. Muddy Waters - "You Need Love"
21. Ritchie Valens - "Ooh! My Head"
22. Little Richard - "Long Tall Sally"
23. Garnet Mimms - "As Long As I Have You"
24. Bobby Parker - "Watch Your Step"
25. Joan Baez - "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"

Get your hands on a boatload of Zeppelin bootlegs right here.

Here's a two-hour Hot Chip DJ set from last night's broadcast of the Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1. For those unfamiliar with the program, a bit of info from Wiki:

"The Essential Mix is a weekly radio show broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and features all styles of electronic dance music. Originally the brainchild of Eddie Gordon the Producer of the Show from the very first broadcast in 1993 to 2001. After receiving weekly mix shows from DJs on 2 hour cassettes in the early 90s, Eddie felt that a BBC Radio 1 weekly show with DJs of different styles of music would offer more variety, and the chance for the ever burgeoning UK dance music scene to flourish. He further encouraged the DJs he scheduled to flex their musical knowledge muscles by pushing the fact that the DJs were not strictly playing to a dance floor, but to people listening in their homes all over the world. Hence the need for a straight out 4 on the floor mix for 2 hours was not essential."

• Hot Chip - Essential Mix (12-29-07) (mega)
  

Tracklist:

1. Hot Chip - One Pure Thought
2. Noze - You Have to Dance
3. Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor (Hot Chip remix)
4. Jill Scott - Golden (Wookie dub mix)
5. Grovesnor - Drive Your Car
6. Chic - I Want Your Love (Todd Terje edit)
7. Justus Kohncke - Parage
8. Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction
9. Romanthony - Bring U Up
10. Timbaland - Drop
11. Olga Dancekowski - Matt John
12. Matthew Dear - Don and Sherri (Hot Chip version)
13. Lanark - Mandinko
14. Alex Under - ?
15. Smith N Hack - Falling Stars
16. Undisputed Truth - Law Of The Land
17. Paul Kalkbrenner - Ick Muss Aus Dit Millieu Heraus
18. Minilogue - Space - My Best Friend
19. Lucio Aquilina - Feelin Plastik
20. Giorgio Preiozo and Libre - Pongo (extended)
21. Minimow - Where Is My Pill?
22. The Surgery - More Weed (Sticky)
23. Red Robin and Jakob Hilden - Snapdragon
24. Tiefschwarz - Original (Carl Craig remix)
25. Jeff Samuel - I Think They Are Trying To Say Something
26. Burial - Archangel

I'm gradually coming to the realization that In The Red Records has become one of my favorite record labels. The Los Angeles-based independent has released impressive albums from from a long list of rock lineage, including names like Jay Reatard, Black Lips, The Ponys, Miss Alex White and The Dirtbombs, just to name a few. The latest In The Red release to grab my attention comes from a Montreal garage rock outfit by the name of Demon's Claws.

Satan's Little Pet Pig is their debut for In The Red, after the group was brought to the label's attention by the Black Lips, who proclaimed them to be the best band they'd seen on tour in the last year. "Part lo-fi distorted crunch, part young Mick Jagger with a mouth full of pills, they play with an "aw, fuggit" swagger, falling all over the beat then pulling it together before anyone gets hurt. Like flooring a V8 down a back road, they let the gravel fly but somehow always avoid the ditch."

While most of the album lies in crunchy, pound on the floor, high-energy garage rock, they can still get rootsy at times with a smoke rolling tune like "That Old Outlaw", or a pull out a black magic number like "Hunting On The 49." And then, just as you're getting comfortable, they give you a swift kick right in the ass with a complete wall shaker like "Wrong Side Of Town." "With a range that qualifies them as possessors of real talent, they mangle authentic country cuts right along with their tight, 2-chord tonal tantrums which no bar fight would be complete without. Like the cold feel of an evil autumn breeze, there's something very antagonistically comforting about the Demon's Claws ability to lure you in their direction, and just when you're close enough to feel the warmth of the flames, they switch gears and blow up right in your face."

Demon's Claws - Satan's Little Pet Pig

1. Shadow Of A Castle
2. Satan's Little Pet Pig
3. 1000 Rounds
4. That Old Outlaw
5. Wrong Side Of Town
6. Gun To My Head
7. Get Together
8. Unemployment
9. Cecile Lemay
10. Tomcat
11. Hunting On The 49
12. Behind The Barn

You can pick this one up from In The Red, or from eMusic, iTunes, and Midheaven. Check 'em out at Myspace, and get more info at Dead Canary Records.

You should all be snuggled tight in your beds dreaming of Saint Nick right about now, but if you're not, then you might as well be busting a move. To provide a bit of assistance in that area, here is an über-mega-large list of remixes to put the hip in your shake. Most of these were penned in 2007, so we'll call it an end of the year, best of, remix, mixtape...or something like that.

I inquired to Party Ends and Cubik Musik about the remixes they enjoyed this year, so PE sent over the Flosstradamus and CSS tracks, while CM picked Ben Westbeech, who he's mentioned a time or two. There's also a handful of extended mixes linked down below to keep the party going all night, if you're into that sort of thing. Spend a little time listening and I bet you'll find some things you like. Cheers!

1. Ol' Dirty Bastard - "Got Your Money" (Dre Skull Remix) mys
2. Little Eva - "Locomotion" (Tyler Fedchuk Remix) mys
3. Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock - "It Takes Two" (Remix)
   
4. The Bee Gees - "Stayin' Alive" (Teddybears Remix) mys
5. Marvin Gaye - "Sexual Healing" (Mercurius FM Remix) mys
6. Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams" (1/2ALIVE edit) mys
7. Dan Deacon - "Wham City" (Lempel Remix) mys
8. Panda Bear - "Comfy In Nautica" (Turbostation Remix) mys
9. The Black Lips - "Veni Vidi Vici" (Diplo Remix) mys
10. Matt & Kim - "Yeah Yeah" (Flosstradamus Remix) mys
11. The Cribs - "Man's Needs" (CSS Remix) mys
12. Chromeo - "Needy Girl" (Lifelike Remix) web
    
13. Panacea - "The Scenic Route" (Leo Nevilo Remix) mys
    
14. Arrested Development - "Ease My Mind" (DJ Premier Remix) mys
    

Live Radio Mixes:

• LCD Soundsystem - Live on Radio 1
• Hot Chip - In The Mix (N-Joy) (repost)

Local goodness from DJ Orion: Check it out and get more

• DJ Orion - Civilized Disobedience (Tracklist) (mys)
  

Complimentary mixes from The Fader.com

• Nick Catchdubs - The Fader 50 Mix (mys)
• Justice - The Fader 50 Mix
• The Mad Decent Fader Mix
  

Finger On The Pulse: Two new mixes from the NYC crew

• Terry Diabolik - If You’re Gonna Dance, Do It Now! (mys)
• DJ Never Forget - For The People (mys)

I'm not sure where this one originated, but it's definitely old school:

• Various Artists - Old School Hip-Hop Mix
  

For a good period of time you would have been hard pressed to find a bigger Toadies fan than myself. I had some of the best times loading up with a close group of friends and seeing as many Toadies shows as we possibly could. We ended up becoming pretty close to everyone who was involved, traveling hundreds of miles to watch them perform and have a big party after the show. When the band unraveled and moved on to create new things we went right along with them. We were pretty hardcore with it. I honestly cannot count the number of times that I've seen the Toadies and Burden Brothers play. It's at least half a hundred. Made some damn good friends and had some unforgettable times.

Anyway, the Toadies have gotten back together once again and it looks like people are pretty excited about it. Their show at the Austin Music Hall on Friday is sold out, as is one of the two they have booked in San Antonio. They'll also be in Houston, Grand Prairie, Corpus, Little Rock, Shreveport, and New Orleans. (Dates & Tix) This isn't the first time they've done the whole "reuniting" thing, which tends to rub some hardcore fans the wrong way. In my opinion, if they can still pack a room, put on a great show, and in doing so cause a bunch of people to enjoy themselves, then what difference does it make?

To rekindle some of that good old-fashioned mid 90's post-grunge angst, here is a fan collected compilation of Toadies songs that you'd have a hard time tracking down otherwise. I seriously doubt that anyone will mind me sharing this thing, most of it is out of print anyway. You can always go to the store and pick up Rubberneck and Hell Below/Stars Above. Here's three tracks to wet your beak, and you can download the whole thing right here.

• Toadies - "I Hope You Die"
• Toadies - "Possum Kingdom" (Live)
• Toadies - "Not in Love" (Talking Heads)

I just purchased this Diplo remix of Spoon's "Don't You Evah" from the Merge Records digital shop. They tell me that all of the proceeds from my .99 cents will go to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm putting it up here for you to check out, but the second half is faded out in hopes of inducing some folks to head over to MergeRecords.com and pick it up for themselves. I'm not exactly sure what that image is supposed to reflect, it is what popped up after I purchased the track.

• Spoon - Don't You Evah (Diplo Remix)

Sometime last year Diplo remixed "Twist and Shout" and made it even more dance floor friendly, which is no easy task. Check it:

• Diplo - Shhake it Up (Twist and Shout)

Young Dudes are a Minneapolis quartet who recently released their first record via Afternoon Records. They play beer-swilling, fight-inducing, rock & roll party music without a hint of pretension. They've got tight instrumentation, guitar riffs for days, and pounding drums that romp along at fevered pace that is sure to get you moving.

So far the Young Dudes only have eight songs to their name, but they've got the chops to go toe-to-toe with just about any rock band that is currently saturating the mainstream. Their album is a concise 30 minutes of no frills rock that doesn't wear thin with repeated listening. Even though it has only been released on vinyl, if you order the record they'll hook you up with the mp3s to boot. If you've been waiting for some extra motivation to dust off that old record player in your closet, this might be the one for you.

Listen:

• Young Dudes - "Sons of Seven"
• Young Dudes - "(Doin') Crimes"

You can stream the album at Virb, and get more of everything at Afternoon Records.

I think people need more White Denim in their life. These three guys are doing good things, making some cool music, and it's always exciting to hear a local band doing something unique and fresh. Their live shows are always a hell of a time, and the set they rolled out at Fun Fest was downright amazing. They were recently plugged by Spin and Rolling Stone, and in other news they're working with the hybrid online record label/blog RCRD LBL to release a new track every month from now until February from an exclusive EP. The first single to come forth is "World As A Waiting Room", a funky organ-fueled garage rocker with an unexpected psychedelic interlude/outro. It is available to download free of charge at RCRDLBL.com.

When I caught their set at Mohawk the other night, dudes hooked me up with a limited pressing tour-only EP that I've listened to at least five or six times already. They wanted some special merch for their tour patrons, so Denim beat-keeper Josh Block pulled a couple of all nighters and compiled this EP from the "vast, ever-enlarging, daunting, bank of nearly finished songs."

Workout Holiday features proper versions of a couple of tracks we've heard from these guys before (Shake Shake Shake, Ieiei), as well as a few crunchy jams that will be available on RCRD LBL soon (Paint Silver Gold, Goldie Locks), and a couple of tracks (All Truckers Roll, Let's Get Together) that are destined for an EP that they hope to release within the next few weeks. They also report that they want to have a full-length album available for mass consumption before/around SXSW in March. I predict a riot party.

Here are a couple of new sounds for you. First up is a re-jammed version of the beloved "Shake Shake Shake", which is followed by a cheerful instrumental number that's not to be confused with "Don't Look That Way At It."

from Workout Holiday:

• White Denim - "Shake Shake Shake"
  
• White Denim - "Look That Way At It"
  

I switched to the radio for a little while earlier tonight, literally right as Andy Langer was spinning "Mess Your Hair Up" on his "Next Big Thing" radio show. Excellent choice I'd say. The last three and a half minutes of this track are where it's at. It is the lengthiest White Denim track to date, from the 7'' EP which you can get in mp3 or in true form via the myspace.

• White Denim - "Mess Your Hair Up"

Visuals:

Ho-ly shit, I think I just listened to one of the best punk albums I've ever heard. It's called Blood Visions, and it comes from a Memphis rocker by the name of Jay Reatard. In The Red Records released the album late last year, but I had never heard of it until this week. Luckily I dicovered it just in the nick of time, as Jay Reatard will be performing in Austin tonight at Beerland. To say that this guy is a prolific musician is an understatement, I mean this "Partial Discography" reads longer than the catalog of a lot of record labels. Here is a little background info from the label:

"Following through the several feral outlets he's been involved in over the years, from the primal hysteria of The Reatards to the more recent Final Solutions and Angry Angles, he's always been an integral part of the most exciting live shows of anyone else he's shared the stage with. Jay's deviceful song writing has also been the most dynamically visceral of his peers, and from the drastic 180 degree art/punk stance the Lost Sounds established upon their first appearance in the late 90s, to the creatively above-par and melodically intricate songs that fill his debut solo album Blood Visions, it's anyone's guess what comes next."

"The 26-year-old Memphis singer-songwriter-producer (born Jay Lindsay) has clearly taken a further step back in time to grasp the sounds of old-school working-class UK punk, with Blood Visions, a blistering 15-song, 29-minute record that, upon first listen, sounds like vintage British thrash. If Reatard’s faux English accent doesn’t fool you on the title track, the pogoing rhythms of "It’s So Easy" or the Adverts-like "Nightmares" are likely to convince you that this is some long-lost punk masterpiece."

from Blood Visions:

• Jay Reatard - "Death Is Forming"
• Jay Reatard - "My Shadow"
• Jay Reatard - "We Who Wait"

Brazos first caught my attention in September when they performed at the Austin Sound Off Festival, where they quickly won the crowd over with a captivating live set. Brazos is the creation Martin Crane, a young figure in the Austin music scene with an impressive songwriting ability and a voice to match. As Brazos he has played with members of other promising local acts (The Early Tapes, White Denim, Tacks, The Boy Disaster), while releasing a couple of well-received EPs just on the strength of home recording sessions. Feeding Frenzy is a playful lo-fi recording with an exciting title track, while A City Just As Tall features rich production and more dynamic content. Last week I sat down with him to find out more about the band and get a feel for what we can expect next.

• CC: How long have you been doing Brazos?

MC: Brazos has been around loosely since we got together for a show at Beerland last year, but it didn't really get going until May of this year when I finished school.

• CC: At what point did you record these two EPs?

MC: They were both recorded within a few weeks of each other over the summer. A City Just As Tall was actually recorded before Feeding Frenzy, it just took a while to get it mixed, mastered and pressed. We have all of the recording equipment at my house, and with Feeding Frenzy we recorded it in like two days and just mixed it ourselves, so the turnaround was really quick. A City Just As Tall was a much more involved process that took more time to finish. I kind of did Feeding Frenzy because I was getting tired of spending a lot of time trying to make A City Just As Tall sound perfect and just wanted to have some fun.

• CC: So, did this material come from a collaborative effort between you guys?

MC: No, both of these have really just been me writing and recording my own stuff. But that won't be the case in the future as things solidify. I always wanted to have a band, but spending so much time with school I never had the chance to put something real together. I never even had much time to go out and get involved in the scene or to practice much until I graduated.

• CC: What are some of your influences?

MC: If I'm trying to tell people what Brazos is like, I'd say it's kind of like a combination of three or four albums including A Ghost Is Born, Internal Wrangler, and Greens From Ashbury Park. Those are the three main albums that I think kind of represent what we're doing. I tend to listen to old 60's R&B, as well as a lot of Radiohead, Panda Bear and Animal Collective.

• CC: What can we expect next from Brazos?

MC: These EP's are just kind of the foundation of things right now. I want to get the word out in Austin and also attract some good players to be permanent members of the band. It's been tough to find really good people who are free and not tied into other things. I've written a whole bunch of new songs and at pretty much every show we play new stuff. I'm hoping that by January we'll have a full set of completely new stuff, and I'd like to have an album recorded by February. It's going to be a real classic guitar, piano, drums and bass record. I'm excited about it.

• CC: Can you tell me a little about the song "They're There"?

MC: Mark David Ashworth wrote that song when he went to Mexico City about two years ago and he kind of let me have it. I learned it while I was on a trip to Guatemala and then wrote the second part called Airport Rebel when I got back from the trip. They both have pretty much the same chord structures, and the second half is sort of my answer to the first part. They are kind of brother-sister songs.

• Brazos - "They're There/Airport Rebel"

• CC: What about "Mrs. Virginia"?

MC: I wrote that song over a period of about a year, and it's about a lot of different things. Right about that time I was trying to write songs where I was just using normal colloquial language, setting regular speech to melody, and it just kind of came out. A friend showed me a poem by Cortazar about this guy who builds a city in his room, and I was interested in how people can have fantasies of living in their own little world where they can be king.

• Brazos - "Mrs. Virginia"

With songs this good after only a couple of solo home recording sessions, I can't wait to hear what comes next. Like Austin Sound said, this band's potential is exciting. You can get your hands on mp3s from both EPs at the official site, and click over to the myspace to hear their latest addition, "Comatose." If you're in the Austin area tomorrow, you can check out Brazos performing instore at End of an Ear at 6 p.m.

Caribou is Dan Snaith of Ontario, a math wiz and accomplished musician who has been developing his own unique brand of electronica since 2000. Andorra, his latest release and first under Merge Records, has been receiving high marks from great sources since August of this year.

Considered by many to be his strongest album yet, it is packed full with lush, psychedelic electronica with 60's-inspired vocals and truly mesmerizing production. This is another one of those albums that is best experienced with a good pair of headphones and a full listen from start to finish. Here are a few quality thoughts on the album from Lost at Sea:

"Nine tracks in all, Snaith truly blazes through Andorra in a streak of diversity, continuing with "She's The One," which features the vocals of fellow Canuck and Junior Boys member Jeremy Greenspan. Two tracks later, the Eastern-flavored pop nugget "Eli" is a great homage to Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles, and the closest thing I've heard to that album since it last spun on my Technics."

I've been listening to Austin's own indie pop outfit YellowFever (no space) off and on for a few months, but never got around to making a proper entry about them until just now. I could probably sit and listen to YellowFever for hours on end, if only they had hours worth of material available. As it stands now they've released a couple of EPs and a 7'', including the newest release of "Cats and Rats" via Hugpatch Records.

A quick search returns some high praise for their simplistic pop creations, such as "Destined for great sounds", "An infectious combination", "Pretty damn awesome", and "One of our favorite EPs." It's hard to turn on some YellowFever and not start humming along instantly. Just try it for yourself. The first track is from the new EP, the second is from the self-titled, and the third from the Culver City 7''.

• YellowFever - "Hellfire"
• YellowFever - "Psychedelic"
• YellowFever - "Culver City"

Try to catch them live around Austin sometime, and grab some tunes via the myspace.

Here's a little preview of three different 60's rock records that I've been enjoying. The first is from an obscure band called The Misunderstood, who were briefly in the business of creating a distinct brand of "hard-edged psychedelic pop music" in the mid 60's. Overshadowed by hometown bands like Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, the Misunderstood traveled across the pond and try their luck in England.

They recorded six singles in the early part of November 1966, and it would mark the first and last time the band would ever record with their original line-up. This was just as The Jimi Hendrix Experience exploded onto the scene and The Beatles released "Strawberry Fields Forever." With minimal overall success and Vietnam War draft summons from the U.S. military, The Misunderstood disbanded. Listen to a handful of tracks from The Lost Acetates 1965-1966:

• The Misunderstood - "Bury My Body"
• The Misunderstood - "Got Love If You Want It"
• The Misunderstood - "Children Of The Sun"
• The Misunderstood - "I Unseen"

The other two albums arrived consecutively from The Kinks; December 1967's Something Else by the Kinks, and November 1968's The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Both albums sold poorly in the U.S., as the Kinks were subject to a ban on live and television performances. Obviously people have come around since then, as Something Else was ranked number 288 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums, and Village Green is reported to be the best-selling non-compilation album in the Kinks' catalogue.

I like to get turned on to a lot of this stuff that is being labeled as "neo-psychedelia." That's really just a hip way to describe psychedelic rock that's still being created today which takes its cue from the psychedelic rock explosion of the 60's. The list includes bands like the Black Angels, and Brightblack Morning Light, and another one that I've been listening to is a band from L.A. called The Warlocks. The six (or seven) piece band is fronted by an interesting character whose resume includes an early introduction to rock music via his family-owned radio station and some quality time spent with the legendary Timothy Leary.

The band has a handful of releases to their name, including a great new record called Heavy Deavy Skull Lover that I can't seem to stop listening to. It's all fuzzed-out psychedelic rock with expansive songs like the three-movement epic "Moving Mountains," and the whole thing is covered with feedback and reverb-heavy guitar. Plus, the album cover is pretty cool. I don't know exactly what's going on, a sexy varmint duel or something, but I like it. I found a couple of paragraphs at Three Imaginary Girls that I feel sum up Heavy Deavy Skull Lover perfectly:

"The songs on this album take their glorious time getting going, such as the full two-minutes of droning guitar passages that precede the full band on the song "Slip Beneath" or the shuddering epic "Moving Mountains," which goes from a thinly plucked acoustic guitar line to full-fledged sonic assault in just under 11 minutes.

In a sense, it's an album that kicks against every modern day musical ideal that has shackled how artists choose to express themselves nowadays. This is not a record that fits into the schema of an iPod shuffle, or a ringtone or meant to be heard for 45 seconds on a friend's MySpace page. It's organic music that grows with a methodical brilliance, building landscapes of sound that will take your breath away if you are willing to slow down and allow it to do so."

• The Warlocks - "Moving Mountains"
• The Warlocks - "Slip Beneath"