Why can't I post Youtube links just like everyone else?

Eluvium, "Radio Ballet" 22/05/08, live in Heidelberg

Noisy, slow-building centrepieces of Eluvium's set, such as "Under The Water It Glowed" and "Repose In Blue", have become increasingly epic in the last couple of years, with new layers of melody and white noise creeping in with every new tour. Good, or even passable sound quality recordings of those songs are difficult to find, especially on Youtube, because the second half of those songs provide pretty much instant death for the mics on cell phones and digital cameras. So instead, here's a simpler, more eardrum-friendly performance of the beautiful "Radio Ballet". Eluvium is kind of like Xiu Xiu in the sense that the louder, noisier tracks are more immediate, but the moment you "get" the slow ones (i.e. they stop feeling like mere interludes between the good stuff and start feeling like the *truly* good stuff themselves) is the moment their albums go from being Verve releases to true classics.

Jesu, "Silver", 07/04/07, San Luis Obispo

What can I say? Jesu are heavier than the planets. They are more brutal and sludgy when playing live than on record, so if you ever thought that Jesu records were too slickly produced, then this is the sound you want. On a different note, it's bad enough when people wear concert t-shirts to concerts, so major points are deducted for Justin Broadrick wearing his *own* band's t-shirt on stage.

Th' Faith Healers, "Spin 1/2" 29/03/06, NYC

One of the great underrated British indie bands of the 90's playing their best song at a 2006 reunion gig. But where's the rest of it? How many more minutes?

Lou Reed and John Cale, "Heroin" (acoustic)

Judging from the looks of them, this would have to date from that brief period around '71-'72 when they were getting along again and playing the occasional gig backing Nico.

Portishead, "We Carry On", Live HMH Amsterdam (04-07-08)

Notable for Beth Gibbons walking offstage during the closing instrumental section and hugging and kissing the entire front row on her way out.

Isaac Hayes, "Never Can Say Goodbye", live Atlanta 1973

RIP Isaac Hayes. Dig the golden chain shirt.