Digital Ink Los Angeles

Wolfmother‘s got big, bold stadium rock for the masses. Some might call it Stoner Rock, but it gets the job done , whatever it’s called.

Wolfmother‘s debut album, Wolfmother, reached multi-platinum status in 2006, becoming a big hit with the West Coast music aficionados before emerging as a global sensation.

Wolfmother‘s new album, Cosmic Egg, is out on Tuesday, October 27th. The band’s changed — with drummer Myles Heskett and bassist Chris Ross leaving the band in 2008 — but the man-in-charge, Andrew Stockdale, still seems to get it done.

This link is the first full-release single from Cosmic Egg:

“New Moon Rising“

Enjoy.

Afrika Bambaattaa, Soul Sonic Force, Egyptian Lover, Mantronix, Run DMC, LL Cool J, and EPMD are break-beat, hip-hop geniuses from the 70s through the 80s.

Everything hip-hop music has become starts with the sampling, looping, and remixing achievements of these forefathers.

Nary a piece of fresh cardboard has been dropped on pavement without a break, hyphy, or crunk dancer knowing these beats.

Boom, pop, boom, boom, pop. Repeat. Got a rock it, don’t stop it. Got a rock it, don’t stop.

Lesson #1: How a Black Spades gang member from the Bronx figured out a way to escape his tenement nightmare via the electronica of Soul Sonic Force and their search for a Planet Rock.

Rock, rock, to the Planet Rock, don’t stop.

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Another British band making a splash on this side of the pond is Band of Skulls, with their recent Shangri-La Records release, “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey.”

These guys (and a gal) are a cross between The Pretenders, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The White Stripes, with a little aggro-emo-soul.

After a touring summer ending with Lollapalooza, their tunes will be featured in the upcoming release of “New Moon” (Twilight 2).

Here’s a YouTube clip of their single, “Blood.” Blood and Skulls, yea. Rock on.

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Brian Epstein was manager of The Beatles from his discovery of the Fab Four in the now-famous Cavern Club in 1961 until his untimely death in 1967.

Many believe The Beatles owe everything to Mister Brian Epstein as the architect of their band’s personality and captain of their traveling show.

Indeed, the result of his death was an ongoing dispute between Paul McCartney and John Lennon as to who should be their new leader, eventually leading to their breakup over this fateful decision.

The tragic overdose on prescription pills was so unexpected, the Beatles decided to take a vacation to India with their spiritual guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to discover transcendental meditation and potentially communicate with their now-deceased leader.

On this day (August 27, 1967) 32 years ago, Brian Epstein left this world for his next journey, but the legend of his influence and guiding hand upon The Beatles hasn’t disappeared.

Who knows what would have become of the four mop-heads from England if Mister B.E. could have stuck around a little longer?

Check out the tribute video to Mister B. E. here.

Arctic Monkeys are a foursome out of Sheffield, England, who play a new-fangled spin on the Brit-pop emo-rock introduced by bands like Oasis, Radiohead, Catherine Wheel, and The Cure in the 90s.

Their 2009 release, Humbug, is now available and includes the first single: Crying Lightning

They’ve got the Super Good stuff. Check out the YouTube video here:

They came in droves, by the carload, on foot, on bikes, toting babies and blankets, some without anything but the shorts and shorts they were wearing — some with less.

In the end, nearly 400,000 people showed up to enjoy acts like The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix.

August 15, 16, and 17, 1969 — forty years ago last week.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the recent 40th Anniversary celebration in Bethel Woods, NY.

Music channel VH1 recently showed a “rock-doc” for the 40th Anniversary.

The BBC has an interesting audio slide-show documenting some of the sights and sounds.

The Digital Ink Los Angeles pick for Woodstock nostalgia would be this YouTube copy of Joe Cocker‘s now-famous version of “With a Little Help from My Friends”. Par Excellence.

There’s a little group out of Gothenberg, Sweden (same place as Jose’ Gonzalez) who’re capable of big sounds, and their electro-pop, soul-infused, funk ballads are primed for dancefloors, headphones, and big-booming car systems around this world.

Teamed with the beautiful looks and sublime seduction of Yukimi Nagano‘s voice, high-school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards) came together as the band Little Dragon, stepping into the spotlight with the release of their late-2007 single on Peacefrog Records, called “Twice“.

Their self-titled album, Little Dragon, went on to achieve popular success with those in-the-know in 2008, and their major-label debut, Machine Dreams, is slated for a September 3, 2009 domestic release.

These Swedes have a gifted take on the pop-funk, synth-soul dance vibe, and they’ve taken the torch from similar sounding groups like Koop, Massive Attack, Zero 7, and Phoenix.

The first single from the new album is in heavy rotation on KCRW, and has a chill, trip-hop vibe to it.

Called “Feather,” there are a few copies floating around YouTube, and here’s one:

That’s some Super GOODness!