February 1, 2007

Music Recommendations (For People Who Still Buy CDs)

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I’m not sure how much relevance actual release dates have any more (in this era of internet leaks) but if you’re the type who likes their CDs and mp3s legit, the next few months promise some breathless Monday nights. I thought I’d sneak on here while all the Mother Jones employees are nursing their hangovers and tell you about some upcoming albums I can’t wait for, along with a brief explanation, similar artists, and a link to a preview (if available) or some recent material.

  • 02/06/07: Bloc Party – Weekend in the City (Vice/Atlantic)
    The UK quartet follow up their acclaimed debut with a more mature (and apparently more openly queer-ish) album
    For fans of: The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, being wistful
    Stream the whole album already on their Myspace page

  • 03/06/07: Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)
    Adored Montreal band face dreaded sophomore slump
    For fans of: Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel, going to funerals
    Download the first single, “Interventions,” here
    •

  • 03/06/07: Air – Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks)
    French band swings back to the more “difficult” sound of 10,000 Hz Legend
    For fans of: Burt Bacharach, Zero 7, spacing out
    Buy the first single, “Once Upon a Time” at iTunes

  • 03/13/07: Ken Andrews – Secret of the Lost Satellite (Dinosaur Flight)
    Producer-geek former member of Failure uses own name for once
    For fans of: Autolux, Nine Inch Nails, wearing headphones
    Hear a loop from Track 8 off the new album at his website

  • 03/20/07: Chamillionaire – The Ultimate Victory (Universal)
    Southern rap superstar returns with more smooth guest-star-laden hip-hop
    For fans of: Paul Wall, Weird Al, ridin’ dirty
    Download a recent mixtape here

  • 03/20/07: LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (DFA)
    NY dance-rock dude & friends bring back the funk
    For fans of: New Order, The Rapture, ironic disco dancing
    Hear earlier versions of some of the new songs in the Nike mix 45:33 available on iTunes
    •

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    WE CAME UP SHORT.

    We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

    That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

    So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

    Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

    And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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