LimeWire Music Blog

You’ve heard us kvetch in this column before about how sparse the release schedules start to get during the holiday season, but the week before Christmas is when the scenario starts to get closer to apocalyptic than anything you could call comfortable. Nevertheless, we shall not sway or waver in our mission to point you towards the most worthwhile ways to work your ears into a frenzy. So this time around, we’ve got an EP from a pack of beloved indie faves, an exclusive session from an agit-rock hero, some out jazz from an Aussie innovator, and even a bit of heavy breathing to get you hot under the collar during this chilly time of year.

Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman – Live at Lime
Pardon us if we swell with just a tiny portion of pride at being part of this project. Tom Morello, former Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist, and current practitioner of fiery folk with a political bent, recorded an exclusive single for LimeWire in conjunction with Human Rights Day, and its net profits will all go to benefit the work of Amnesty International. For this exclusive outing, Morello goes into acoustic cover-tune mode, and we can guarantee you’ve never heard either the Killers’ “Human” or the old folk song “Joe Hill” quite like this before.

Deer Tick – More Fuel For the Fire
If you’re among the many who have become addicted to the ragged-but-right, rootsy rock of Deer Tick, and you simply can’t bear to wait until their next album, this EP will be a godsend. And even if you can contain yourself in the aforementioned interim, it’s still a pretty damn cool batch of tunes. Recorded over the course of a month during what the band’s calling their “Black Dirt” sessions, More Fuel features three spankin’ new cuts plus a live version of “Straight Into a Storm.”

Lisa Moore – Seven: Music by Don Byron
Who knew one of the most striking jazz releases of 2009 would wind up arriving at the tail end of the year? Lisa Moore is an Australia-born pianist who made her name in New York as a visionary player comfortable with jazz, classical, and avant-garde styles. Moore, best known as a founding member of Bang on a Can All-Stars, tackles the music of Don Byron here, armed with nothing but 88 keys, a smattering of vocals, and most importantly, the interpretive power of her fertile imagination.

Robin Thicke – Sex Therapy
Yeah, we know — where does a pasty-faced punk like Robin Thicke get off making like a Marvin Gaye-meets-Maxwell love man, calling his album Sex Therapy? He’s practically Canadian, for God’s sake! Well, his father — TV host Alan Thicke — is a Canuck, anway. But  as anyone who has borne witness to the recent Bob Dylan Christmas album can tell you, stranger things have happened. As it turns out, Thicke has been blessed with the gift of get-down in no small amount, and rubbing up against his supple R&B sound just might suit you right down to the ground.