It seems like every week we've been putting up new Bloodshot releases. Well, Bloodshot must be employing press release writers whose aim is specifically to get us and those like us to bite on these bands. Because when we get the following in our inboxes, our electronic ears perk up:
Chicago-based chamber pop collective The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir aren’t your typical debauched rock stars reveling in a pastiche of self-destructive clichés. Leading a band that’s shared the stage with both the Arcade Fire and Ira Glass, Spoon and Dave Eggers, it’s clear that lead singer, guitarist, and keyboard player Elia and his scrappy group are comfortable straddling the divide between the debased rock ‘n’ roll world and the high-minded literati. As it turns out, both shoes fit. Not content with merely performing with some of the most notable names in independent music, the band has explored their connections with the literary and theatrical worlds, performing with Eggers, DeRogatis, This American Life’s Glass, author Joe Meno, and Saturday Night Live regular Fred Armisen.
And Aspidistra was the accompanying track. We like it. So up it goes. There's more to get into at the bands myspace page.
Oh, and speaking of Myspace. As we're sure you've heard by now, today Microsoft threw a large chunk of change for a 1.6 pct stake in Facebook. We particularly liked the following quote from this Times article:
Mr. [Lee] Lorenzen and other Silicon Valley investors are often dismissive of MySpace, Facebook’s larger rival, which has more than 110 million active users and is owned by the News Corporation. “MySpace is not based on authentic identities. Facebook is based on who you really are and who your friends really are. That is who marketers really want to reach, not the fantasy you that lives on MySpace and uses a photo of a model,” he said.
We laughed -- literally LOL'd -- when we read this. We used to be embarrassed by Myspace. But at some point we learned to stop fearing it, and embraced it. Outside of Rhapsody, we're not sure there's a better tool for discovering new music than Myspace. And that's why we think the VC following world is missing the boat with their recent, incessant Myspace bashing.
