What I want to say today necessitates that I mention Heartless Bastards...again.  I know that you know that my love for this band is fiery.  God knows that you have had to endure my many writeups of the band.  Some of you have adopted them as well.  I apologize for the repetition.

More than any band over the last ten years, Heartless Bastards has captured my complete attention; much like bands did in the '60s, '70s, and lower '80s.  Not counting iconic bands like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and others of their type (because these bands were more than cult favorites), I refer to bands like The Jam (whom I loved, but not everyone did), and Magazine (more so).

I looked forward to every new album and single from these bands and others as well.  They didn't usually sell albums like The Stones did back then but we weren't concerned with that.  We just wanted the great albums that we came to expect and were usually rewarded with.

As a result, I have much love for these bands that have provided me with identity and have become a touchstone for points in my life, a 'book marker' if you will.  Today, those bands are still quite important to me.  I'd buy remasters, bonus tracks, and new anniversary editions because they're meaningful to me.

By now, you're no doubt wondering what Heartless Bastards have to do with any of this.  Here it is:  with Heartless Bastards, I have found a band that is very meaningful to me.  I have all of their albums in both CD and LP formats, I want to see their concerts, I anxiously await new music from them.  Their albums will become 'bookmarks' for me.  This is a wondrous thing.

To bring this thing together, let me point out that there are many excellent bands out there.  I know some of you have this same love affair with a similarly important band, Porcupine Tree and so many of you already know what I'm getting to.  Which is this: yes, things have changed; things have changed a lot.  But not so much that you can't rekindle a band love affair with a band like I have with Heartless Bastards.  Like some have for Porcupine Tree.

Much negativity is being passed around about the demise of the label.  And I suppose that it might be true.  But it really doesn't have to be that way.  I'm not referring to tyrannical label practices.  That's a story for another day.  Suffice it to say that if labels want to survive they need to lower expectations and operate like the indie labels have, with a keen ear to great music and to promoting their treasures until they become greater treasures.

But excellent bands of today need our help.  They need our enthusiasm and support just like we provided our favourites of decades past.  Just like I gave to Magazine, to The Jam, to Wishbone Ash. Like I now give to Heartless Bastards and a few others.  We, as fans, can likely find bands that can fire up our enthusiasm. If enough do it, we might be able to see a renaissance that could be positive.  This commentary has nothing to do with distribution of a band's music and everything to do with the old ways of band appreciation.

My infatuation with Heartless Bastards has indicated to me that it can be as it was when I was younger and that I can still find me some new love.  I curiously sample all there is but if I find something I've enjoyed, I want to hear all of the rest of it.  It makes me feel purposeful again.  You can say that my love for Heartless Bastards has been a metaphorical taste of waters from the Fountain of Youth.  I enjoy this feeling.  And I want more of it.

Robert Metcalf has presented a review of the recently released new album by Hamadryad called Intrusion.

I want to alert TAP readers to the fact that I have finally put together a FaceBook fan page that you can access and join by clicking on the badge below.  What this offers is the exact same thing as my Twitter feeds provide and that is first buzz on upcoming releases and free offered downloads, many announcements  that beat our main post, sometimes by days.  We also provide a Google BUZZ page that expands on most of the Twitter/FB feeds. On Buzz, you can even hear the music stream if a stream is offered.  There are still things that I'm working on in the FB page, like calender notes as well as links to great sites like The Second Disc.  I invite you to join us at our FB page and bookmark it.  Visit it daily and you'll be rewarded with much news and info.  Of course, you'll still want to come to the main MusicTAP page for our noisy commentaries.  Remember, with our Twitter feeds, you can elect to receive the news bursts as text on your mobile phone keeping you effortlessly up to date with stuff.  Lots of choices.  Find one, or two, that fits.

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Island Records will release The Night Before by James on CD and DD, scheduling August 3 as ship date.

Mercury Records revisits a long time past with the reissue of the original KISS solo albums on vinyl LP planned for June 29. Those include (as if you didn't know) Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley.

Polydor Records promises Disraeli Gears by Cream on vinyl LP scheduled for June 29.

Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the DVD, Pictures at an Exhibition by Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) on July 27.

Sanctuary Records will reissue Ace of Spades by Motorhead on LP scheduling the re-release for June 29.

HIp-O Select has scheduled September 7 as the release date for The Solo Albums 1 for Smokey Robinson on both CD and DD formats.

Geffen Records plans to release Break Like the Wind by Spinal Tap on vinyl LP and on the calendar for June 29.

Lost Highway will release Praise and Blame by Tom Jones on CD, DD, and LP on July 27.

Eagle Rock Records will release a CD for Votum called Metafiction on July 27.