Click the pic for more info!

Barenaked Ladies performed at the pre-Superbowl Bud Light party and had a nice little write-up here.

Steven Page has released two brand new tracks – entitled “A Different Sort Of Solitude” and “Manchild” – and they are available for download now via his BandCamp page.

The tracks cost $1.98 (approx. £1.30) and UK customers can checkout using debit/credit cards or PayPal.

“Manchild” was co-written with Craig Northey of The Odds and the release came about after Steven’s tweet “Anyone want some new music?” was met by eager fan feedback.

There is also an article and interview from the Windsor Star on the singer’s lifelong battle with depression.

Do share your thoughts on the tracks over on Facebook and Twitter. What do you think of music being released in this manner, a track at a time? Has this whet your appetite for some more new material from Page?

Bang! Is This Your Vehicle, Sir? is the latest full-length album from comedy cult hero Boothby Graffoe, following 2004′s Wot Italian, 2006′s The Following People and 2011′s Songs For Dogs, Funerals…. The album maintains the surreal, off-the-wall concepts that we have come to expect from Graffoe, but is bolstered by smooth production and a rich, fuller sound, courtesy of his talented musician friends and producer Jimmy Melophonic.

Scattered with impeccably timed one-liners (“The nurse won’t stop screaming… she’s a terrible nurse”) and musical interludes, Boothby’s lyrics often lead the listener in one direction before swiftly diverting to an incongruous tangent. This is demonstrated in England, where Boothby rants about the ineffectiveness of his music teacher, and Lullaby, where Dean Friedman inexplicably contributes a line to remind the listener that he does not appear on the album.

Graffoe is also a master of disguising darker subject matter within happy, upbeat musicianship; a skill which Barenaked Ladies fans will undoubtedly appreciate. The Captain’s Address is a story told from the perspective of an unfulfilled pilot nosediving his plane, which cleverly climaxes with the cartoon-like spring noise which opens following track Hop.

Boothby teams up with Barenaked Ladies multi-instrumentalist and long-term pal Kevin Hearn on Attack of the 50ft Woman and Hop; Hearn chipping in with some recognisable piano and guitar riffs. Hop is an album highlight and may be familiar to BNL fans, as it was a mainstay of Boothby’s opening set on the 2010 UK tour. Bassist Chris Gartner and drum maestro Bob Scott (both of Thin Buckle) also appear on the disc, along with frequent collaborator Nick Pynn.

Graffoe’s writing partner and tour buddy Omid Djaili also provides bongos and congas on two tracks, most impressively on the frenetic Dude! Have You Seen The Telly?, a stylistically skewed tune about a weatherman ‘gone mad’. This is another album highlight and a sterling example of music complementing comedy, a balancing act that Boothby has honed on stage over the years.

Elsewhere, Lullaby is a particularly harsh song about a child and Another Song For Boo is a somewhat twisted tune about driving away from a pet – but both are wickedly hilarious and relatable. Keith’s Song is a playful ditty with great harmonies, while Boy Could She Wave has The Verve-like strings and Fish With Feet is possibly even danceable in places.

Throughout the album, the musicianship is tight and lush; strings, choirs and even a saxaphone are employed, and Graffoe is a talented guitarist himself - the picked parts on this album are particularly meticulous – we should not believe that his music teacher was as bad as England suggested.

Bang! Is This Your Vehicle, Sir? is Graffoe’s most polished release to date – these aren’t just funny songs, they’re great songs. Musically adventurous and lyrically hilarious, Bang! is a must-have album for fans of good comedy and good music.

“Bang! Is This Your Vehicle, Sir?” is out on the 27th February on Makin Projects, and Boothby begins a UK tour in March.

Further details can be found on theboothbygraffoe.co.uk and you can follow Boothby on Twitter: @boobygraffoe.

Also check out Stewart Lee’s thoughts on the album here and another Graffoe/Hearn collaboration here.

Written by Liam McKinnon for BNLUK.net, 12th Jan.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

BNLUK would like to wish all its readers a very merry christmas, happy holidays, and best wishes for 2012. With many thanks for being part of a great community of music fans, and for the continued support throughout the year. Also a very merry christmas to Barenaked Ladies and families: good luck Ed on your trip to Kenya with Me2We. Let’s hope 2012 has lots of fun in store!

Please do enjoy the following tidbits for download over the festive period.

Free download: Glastonbury 1993
An unearthed gem – download this Glastonbury bootleg from many moons ago!

Canadian Musician Special
With many thanks to Karen Graves for sending this in, check out this article from Maybe You Should Drive-era with BNL talking music, music, music.

Christmas Videos
A selection of Christmas videos for you to enjoy.

Christmas BNL songs from the community
BNL tunes – Christmassified! Taken from BNLUK followers on Twitter and Facebook.

The video features some special guests including Kevin’s good friend, Mr. Boothby Graffoe.

Kevin Hearn’s new album Cloud Maintenance is out now and has been receiving glowing praise from all quarters. Read articles on the album from Street Date Radio, American Songwriter,  Rock Cousteau and some chap called Booby.

UK fans can purchase “Cloud Maintenance” from iTunes or Kevin’s site, and you can stream the tunes over at AOL Music.

“Cloud Maintenance” features an abundance of guest appearances, notably from Kevin’s Thin Buckle band mates, Boothby Graffoe and Jenn Grant, among others. The album is co-produced by long-time BNL collaborator, Michael Phillip Wojewoda.

An animated music video for the eccentric album closer “Monsters Anonymous” is coming soon – stay tuned to BNLUK and kevinhearn.com for further updates!

Feel free to send over any reviews of the album using this link, and as ever, share your thoughts over on Facebook and Twitter!

With The X Factor coming to an end for the year on our screens, and in a stretch to be topical, check out this new post where you can see the reality show format given a twist – a Barenaked twist. Back in 2005, Canadian Idol featured a very special episode dedicated to BNL. Read up about it and watch the videos here.

So there we have it – two newly moustachioed Canadians – nice work to anyone who donated to the brilliant cause!