NOTE: Because of tech restrictions his post is credited to me, but was written by Rob Wetstone, our in-house jazz expert and head of content
Maynard Ferguson.
He was the iconic screamer; the bravado band leader who specialized in soaring high notes, shrieks and shakes; the guy, who, according to snickering high school legend, blew so hard [...]

Though I am, at heart, an album guy, I don’t think I’ll ever lose my affection for the 7″ format. When I was cutting my teeth on ’90s indie rock, this was the perfect way to get introduced to a band, to get a feel for what they were and to decide if you wanted [...]

Hey everyone! Hope you’re enjoying the Selects Bands…..just thought I’d drop by to do a skimming of the other new/interesting/cool things that we got at the site this week. Let’s start with the Marquee Titles, shall we? (A lot of these are UK-only, so apologies when and where not available):

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of remarkable artist-led benefits to aid the people of Haiti during this time of unspeakable tragedy. We wanted to call out one benefit in particular, not only because of its tangential connection to eMusic, but also because we think it’s an incredibly cool idea.
eMusic Selects [...]

Man, Jayson wasn’t kidding about today being a big day. In amongst the marquee stuff that’s dropped in, I noticed a bunch (a slew even) of great and/or interesting records that I figured were worth running down here. Even still, I’m sure there’s stuff of note that I missed. Feel free to drop some science [...]

Big, big day! My head is swimming. I had to come up for air just as Alex was unearthing reams of cool singles, so he may need to take the baton from here in the Comments section, but here are all the cool/interesting things I came up with on first pass. As always, tell us [...]

We know there’s been a spate of good releases vying for both your time and your downloads lately, but we wanted to point your attention to an album that’s not only full of great music, but also supports a worthy cause.
Excellent New Zealand musician Chris Knox, known mostly for his work with Alec Bathate in [...]

I realize I’m probably picking a bad time (entire Replacements discography and all) to trot out a laundry list of random-seeming records that you just Have to Download Now! but… let’s just call it Save For Later-bait? Ok, cool.
I’ve posted here before about leaning on lists to augment my all-consuming music nerd habits, but December [...]

Pretty good haul here after a flood of WMG-related content last week. Hope you held onto some downloads.
Spoon: Transference – We gave you a sneak peak at Michaelangelo Matos’ glowing review last week , and now the beloved Austin outfit’s seventh album is finally here. Tight, tough and simply composed, Transference is a departure from [...]

We try to keep this blog mostly dedicated to music, but we’re going to veer off course, as we feel the situation warrants it. The recent tragic event in Haiti is the kind of situation so awful, it’s almost beyond our ability to comprehend. We at eMusic would encourage you to consider making a donation [...]

A little tease for next week’s big deal release, Transference, the seventh album from Austin stalwarts, Spoon. Michaelangelo Matos reviewed the album for eMusic and has some unsurprisingly encouraging things to say. Time to get excited:
Spoon
Transference
[Merge]
Release Date: 19 January 2009
By Michaelangelo Matos
Some bands, there’s no accounting for: they work their magic and get out, leaving [...]

We here at eMusic join those who are mourning the passing of Jay Reatard, a veritable punk-rock force of nature and one of the most vital presences on the indie scene; Jay passed away in his sleep last night at the chastening age of 29. There are no words, really, for this sort of thing, [...]

(photo by SyGuildmistress
In addition to the deluge of WMG and affiliated titles on the site yesterday, I wanted to call out a few indie releases well worth your time and credits!
Vijay Iyer Trio, Historicity: Unanimously chosen as one of the best jazz records of 2009 (but, sadly, arriving on the site too late to make [...]

You know what band I still love? Bettie Serveert. By simply typing that sentence I realize the degree to which I am placing myself in a very particular indie rock time and place, as the kind of guy who asks questions like “Whatever happened to the Rock*A*Teens” and “Do you guys remember that Matador Toiling [...]

So, things have been awfully quiet around these parts lately, no? Maybe a little too quiet? Well, far be it from us to tip our hands. Let’s just say, faithful readers of 17 Dots, that if I were you, I’d hang on to my January downloads for at least the next couple of [...]

I’ve written about enough shows I’ve seen at the West Village art cabaret Le Poisson Rouge that “@lpr” should probably just be a tag by now…last night, in sub-Arctic weather conditions (eleven degrees below zero, with punishing ice sheets of wind sweeping Broadway), I ventured back there to hear a joint concert by Lisa Moore, [...]

Ariel Pink is megaprolific LA-based songwriter who sits at the center of a whole constellation of artists making homemade, rinky dink could-be-hits. Using often outdated, underpowered and/or rudimentary equipment, Pink (née Rosenberg) makes quirky pop music that sounds like a sun-damaged, slowly melting version of 1970s FM rock. Since first hitting record on the boombox [...]

(photo, once again, by zoom lens)
And now. The time is near. And so we face. Your #1 album.
eMusic’s Member Poll concludes today, so pop in and see how many of your favorites made the cut. One thing I learned from this list? I have been seriously underestimating Metric. I have duly downloaded.
I wanted to take [...]

(photo by zoom lens)
We asked, you answered, and part one of our eMusic Members’ Poll is live today! Some interesting surprises on here — and it will get more interesting when we unveil the Top 10 tomorrow! Enjoy!

(photo by zoom lens)
The wait is over — eMusic’s Best of 2009 is complete! So now’s your chance to tell us what we got wrong and who we might have missed! We’d also like to know if any albums on here sparked your interest.
Monday and Tuesday we’ll be unveiling the results of our member poll. [...]