Strange Bedfellows of Rock & Opinions on Sleater-Kinney.

bedfellows

Sometimes the most exciting collaborations come in the most unexpected forms. Jim and Greg bring you some Strange Bedfellows that are actually successful. Then they review the latest album from Sleater-Kinney.

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The Grateful Dead are coming back from...well...the dead. The four surviving original members of the jam band progenitor are reuniting for a series of shows this July at Soldier Field in Chicago. These performances will commemorate their 50th anniversary as a band, as well as the 20th anniversary of leader Jerry Garcia's death. The band claims these will be their final shows together, but Jim and Greg have their doubts.

The buzz is already building for this summer's big music festivals. Major events like Coachella, Bonnarroo, and the New Orleans Jazz Fest are already announcing big name headliners. There seems to be a growing trend of booking veteran performers like Billy Joel and Elton John who could otherwise fill stadium gigs of their own. Greg's early pick is the Governors Ball in New York featuring Björk, while Jim's curiosity is piqued by the avant-garde lineup at Knoxville, Tennessee's Big Ears Festival.

It's one fine day for fans of Mariah Carey. The chart-topping chanteuse will be holding a residency at Caesars  Las Vegas beginning in May. She'll perform selections from her many #1 singles to coincide with a new release aptly called #1s. And while it seems like the stuff of sweet, sweet fantasy, Mr. Showmanship himself, Liberace, is also returning to Vegas, despite having died in 1987. Following in the footsteps of Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur, the glittery entertainer will be recreated as a hologram by the company Hologram USA.

liberace

Strange Bedfellows of Rock

aerosmith-run-dmc

Sometimes an odd pairing comes off like peanut butter and chocolate (Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C.). Othertimes, peanut butter and sardines (Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson). And the most recent odd couple is Kanye West and Paul McCartney, with the first single from West's forthcoming album. But during this segment, Jim and Greg remember the most successful "Strange Bedfellows."

Greg

  • Diamanda Galás with John Paul Jones, "Do You Take This Man"
  • Hindu Love Gods, "Raspberry Beret"
  • Atoms for Peace, "Dropped"
  • Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul, "Fallin’"

Jim

  • The Ramones with producer  Phil Spector, "Rock ‘n’ Roll High School"
  • The KLF featuring Tammy Wynette, "Justified & Ancient"
  • Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
  • The Cramps with producer  Alex Chilton, "Zombie Dance"

No Cities to Love Sleater-Kinney

No Cities To Love

For as long as Sleater-Kinney has been a band, they have been a divisive subject on Sound Opinions. Greg is a fan and Jim is (usually) not. Now, ten years after their indefinite hiatus, we get their latest album No Cities to Love. The band, Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker and Janet Weiss, has returned with something to prove, according to Greg. About half the songs of the album are some of the best they have ever done and while the second half isn't quite as good. Despite that, he gives the album a strong Buy It rating. Jim is still on the fence with Sleater-Kinney. He wishes Brownstein and Tucker's vocals had more melody to them, and he isn't hearing much new. Therefore, he gives No Cities to Love a Try It.

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