I Want My Apple TV!

Hey! I’m really excited. I’ll make it quick, okay? And just so you know I am staying on topic, it does involve music. Two words made into one: Apple TV. We want one and we (yes, I’m speaking for you) can have one in February. Yay! Everything video and audio your Mac can do wirelessly transmitted to your television and surround sound system, anywhere in your home. The interface is a thing of beauty right down to the font choice. And at $299, it’s not THAT expensive considering what it does. Yes, the IPhone is cool too. We can’t get that until summer though. So Apple TV it is.

Meanwhile, 2007 is starting out with what is actually a BIG deal in the music world: BBC Radio 1 is broadcasting music from a new chart of downloaded music as okayed by the British Phonographic Society. In just a fortnight (that’s two weeks to us Yanks), the new Apple UK ITunes store sold 500,000 tracks at 79p each with the Pixies topping the chart instead of the usual Top 40 drivel BBC1 serves up. In addition to ITunes, the BBC chart actually reflects 21 different download sites for true balance of musical power.

Back in the U.S.A., may I suggest you consider buying or downloading:

The Bluetones (Cooking Vinyl USA)
They started out on England’s legendary indie label Fierce Panda (Keane, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, Polyphonic Spree) and their fifth album is some of their best melodic rock like “My Neighbour’s House” with the lyrics “My neighbours house is burning down and I cannot say why, ten million angry mouthless tongues all lapping at the sky!” More about The Bluetones.

The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Parlophone U.K.)
Another Damon Albarn (Gorillaz) project that swears it’s a real group with Paul Simonon (The Clash) Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) and Simon Tong (The Verve.) The full album is out on January 22nd. If the single “Herculean” is any indication, the kids will find it very alright! More about The Good, The Bad & The Queen.

Sloan – Never Hear The End Of It (Yep Roc)
Their 8th album had the highest number of Canadian ITunes downloads ever (see there is a theme here) in its first week of release. I personally can’t wait to interview them and jerk back and forth at South by Southwest when they play “Who Taught You To Live Like That.” More about Sloan.

RIP: Mariska Veres of amazing Dutch Band “The Shocking Blue” who lost the battle to cancer. Pick up the relatively easy-to-find import Shocking Blue Singles A’s & B’s (Repertoire) to hear how the band patterned themselves after the Jefferson Airplane by choosing Mariska for her Grace Slick-like voice. Songs like “Send Me A Postcard” define the band as so much more than their chart-topper “Venus.”