Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Alternative, Indie & Punk Editor, Tod Nelson FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * New and Notable: Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, and Radar Bros. * Artist Essentials: Sonic Youth * Free Digital Downloads: The Aluminum Group, Refused, and Moby * Best of the Century: Amazon.com's expert choices * New Music Spotlight: Free downloads of top indie artists * Advance Orders: Coming soon! NEW AND NOTABLE *************** "The Fragile" Nine Inch Nails http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001P4TH/entertainmentsit In the five years since "Downward Spiral," Trent Reznor's take on the human condition has only gotten angrier, as one listen to his searing new double-CD opus proves. Spitting out impossibly dense songs awash in dissonance, melodies are tortured and twisted around buzz-saw beats and terrifying silences. Yet Reznor somehow pulls the music out of the fire long enough to make it not only listenable, but downright catchy. "BBC Sessions" Cocteau Twins http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001X5BO/entertainmentsit Fans of the Cocteau Twins' gossamer pop haven't had anything to digest since the release of "Milk & Kisses," the band's 1996 swan song. "BBC Sessions" collects 30 cuts of the Cocteau's shimmering guitars and gravity-free vocals and includes two previously unreleased songs, the instrumental "Hue and Cry" and a cover of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." "Lost Son" Richmond Fontaine http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001QEEU/entertainmentsit Against a backdrop of corn-fed rock, Portland, Oregon's Richmond Fontaine write songs that serve as griping, four-minute pieces of lowbrow film noir. With songs populated by murderers, petty thieves, pill freaks, loners, and other "interesting" citizens, Richmond Fontaine's lyrics could be penned by the ghosts of Raymond Carver or Charles Bukowski. "Lost Son" improves upon their gruff y'alternative sound while still capturing the lost, the losers, and the loveless with unsettling familiarity. "The Singing Hatchet" Radar Bros. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001X53L/entertainmentsit Low-key and laid-back, "The Singing Hatchet" recalls the wobbly psychedelia of "Meddle"-era Pink Floyd and the laconic dream pop of groups like Acetone and Spacemen 3. Comfortably numb? You bet. The album ambles through the ether like a feverish yet somehow pleasant dream, occasionally stumbling into a nifty chorus every now and then, but mostly humming a nice tune along the way. ARTIST ESSENTIALS: SONIC YOUTH ****************************** While no longer youths, New York's Sonic Youth continue to chart their own idiosyncratic course through music history. Whether wailing and slashing their way through rock music or staking out the hum and buzz of their free-music experiments, Sonic Youth's sound is always compelling. Check out Amazon.com's list of essential Sonic Youth recordings. Browse Music FREE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: THE ALUMINUM GROUP, REFUSED, AND MOBY ************************************************************* The Aluminum Group Brooding romantics, '70s revivalists, and literary-minded rock fans will find much to love in the Aluminum Group's lushly lyrical pop songs. You can download the seductively upbeat "Impress Me" and the suave and swinging "Miss Tate" from their latest release, "Pedals," for free and exclusively at Amazon.com. Free Downloads "Pedals" Aluminum Group http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JPDE/entertainmentsit Refused Blistering, techno-savvy punk rock with extra helpings of throat-shredding lyrics and pulverizing guitar--that's Sweden's Refused. Amazon.com editors voted "The Shape of Punk to Come" one of last year's best recordings. Want to see what all the noise is about? You can download their track "Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine" for free in Amazon.com's Digital Downloads section at Free Downloads "The Shape of Punk to Come" Refused http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DC10/entertainmentsit Moby Pioneering beat artist Moby earned critical raves for his album "Play," a combination of slippery techno rhythms and deftly sampled African American field recordings. You can download Moby's David Letterman performance of "Natural Blues" and the tune "Flying Foxes" (a "Play" outtake) for free, exclusively at Free Downloads "Play" Moby http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000J6AG/entertainmentsit AMAZON.COM PRESENTS THE BEST OF THE CENTURY ******************************************* As the century comes to a close, Amazon.com takes a look at the landmarks in books, music, and video of the past 100 years. Selected by our editors, our lists take you decade by decade from the turn of the century all the way to the end of the millennium. Music of the century NEW MUSIC SPOTLIGHT ******************* Check out Amazon.com's New Music Spotlight, a new page on our site where we highlight the work being created by top independent bands. Stocked with bio information, reviews, and free MP3 downloads, our New Music Spotlight is where tomorrow's music is taking shape today. New and Future Releases ADVANCE ORDERS: COMING SOON! **************************** "There Is Nothing Left to Lose" Foo Fighters http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000020617/entertainmentsit The long-awaited follow-up to "The Color and the Shape" promises more of the Foo's trademark crunchomatic guitars and big pop hooks. "The Last Tour on Earth" Marilyn Manson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003000J/entertainmentsit Thirteen tracks of Manson madness captured live, including covers of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and Dr. Hook's "Get My Rocks Off." "Goodbye 20th Century" Sonic Youth http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002R0NC/entertainmentsit Sonic Youth bid farewell to the past 1,000 years by releasing an album on their own label featuring their renditions of contemporary classical avant-garde "hits" by the likes of John Cage, Steve Reich, Takehisa Kosugi, Pauline Oliveres, and Yoko Ono. Kick out the jams! ****** Give the Perfect Gift, Get the Perfect Gift Does Aunt Ida send polka CDs when you'd prefer pop? Create an Amazon.com Wish List and save everyone the agony of the unwanted gift. Wish list Clueless as to what to get your Kentucky cousin for Christmas? Send him an e-Card and tell him to set up an Amazon.com Wish List so you can easily find and send him his heart's desire. Wish card ****** And you'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Alternative Music section at Alternative ******
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