am/fm

This concert looks awesome. Les Savy Fav, Andrew Bird, Guster, Fiery Furnaces! They'll rock you all night long!

—eh

(via)

I've been listening to Folds' latest album for a few weeks, and I'm having a hard time getting my head around it. Upon first listen, I actually hated it. Which for me is a big deal. Ben Folds is one of my musical heroes and I've loved everything he's done without question up until now.

Of course, I had to give it another six chances, and to me it still sounds like a really angry record. There's a lot of broken-heart relationship stuff, and on a lot of the songs, he drops the distance of the third person and it sounds like he's really singing from the heart (or the spleen, rather). Which may just me confusing first person storytelling with Ben Folds speaking directly to me about all his feelings and problems. No, he probably is speaking directly to me.

Anyway. There is some good stuff here. His duet with Regina Spektor on "You Don't Know Me" (video here) is a lot of fun. "Cologne" takes the story of astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak and turns it into a really poignant meditation on fading love, kind of the reverse emotion of "The Luckiest" off "Rockin' the Suburbs."

Folds plays around a lot with instrumentation, adding electronic noise to his traditional piano and rhythm section set up. I hate change, so this doesn't really work for me.

In all, I think I'm still digesting the album. The stuff I like definitely stays closer to his work of the past — I'm sorry, Ben. I know what I like from you, and I don't like when you toy with me like this.

—eh

I recently finished reading Oliver Sacks' "Musicophilia" (you may recognize Sacks as the author of the book upon which the film "Awakenings" was based, or you may not). It's an interesting exploration of music and the brain, focusing on individual case studies — some of which are post-scripts to essays he's written in earlier works.

He talks about his patients, and how music affects their particular situation: Some have suffered head injuries and find that their taste in music has changed wildly, or that they've developed heretofore undiscovered talents. His encephalitic and autistic patients find a connection with the world through music that they can't achieve through everyday interaction. Others are plagued by musical hallucinations that won't leave them alone.

Written with clinical dispassion, it's not really an uplifting book, but it's not a downer. For anyone with a propensity to adopt medical symptoms as their own, it's mildly dangerous (after spending a worrisome 5 minutes convinced I had an undiscovered case of Williams Syndrome, I realized that though I have a great passion for music, I matched none of the other actual symptoms).

What it is, is kind of a catalog of ways the brain can fail you, and how music can help or hinder in a given situation. And while that take was quite interesting, I was kind of hoping for something more sciencey, like Daniel Levitin's "This is Your Brain on Music," which I read earlier this year, where he talks more about how the brain processes music and why we as a species may have evolved to have it as part of our lives.

But I did learn some fun facts, the most fun (and possibly nerdy) of which I'll share after the jump.

St. Vincent, "Paris is Burning." (While a live performance, the above video is not from the show I saw last night.)

Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) rocked BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House at BAM's all-night party The Takeover last night. While it was a little weird to see a rock show at a sit-down theater, her music was suited to the venue. She manages to somehow sound delicate and strong at the same time, filling the theater with sound, but causing the audience to hold our collective breaths for fear of overwhelming the poor girl. She had five other people on stage with her, with a sax/clarinetist, a pianist and a violinist in addition to a bassist and drummer, lending a chamber pop flavor to the mix.

Let not all this lead you to believe that the girl cannot rock, though. She totally shreds on the guitar. It creates a good incongruousness to her fragile voice.

She played a few new songs, although this was my first time seeing her, so I wouldn't have realized. But they were as well received as the older stuff. Though the show was almost an hour long, she played about seven songs. I don't know if it was the setting, the hour, or what, but each song seemed to last forever (in a good way) creating an ideal atmosphere in which to kind of bliss out.

She wrapped up the show by inviting Sufjan Stevens onstage (he had curated and hosted the night's performances) for a cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." There was something about the performance that made me think, "Hipsters have taken irony so far that they've come back to earnestness. (cue C.B.) So could it be that the coolest thing an indie rocker could do now is to cover Phil Collins?"

But the performance was good.

—eh

Coming off of her epic sweep of the MTV VMAs (/sarcasm), Spears has a follow up to last year's "Blackout" due December 2 (which is apparently her 27th birthday; I thought she was much younger than that). The first single, "Womanizer," leaked here, and it's pretty catchy. It's vaguely anonymous pop, but it's crafted pretty well, reminiscent of, dare I say, "Toxic" (which is the go-to track for people of indie leanings to support the idea that Spears can turn it out when she's on track — and to prove that they can appreciate pop just as much as the next club kid).

MTV is reporting that the song could be available for digital download as early as Monday.
And you can read an internet report of the video shoot for "Womanizer" here. But use your critical thinking caps as you consider the source, i.e., unnamed sources on the internet.

—eh

Sam Champion's Jack Dolgen has started a new website to spread the musical Obama love even further: Barack Rock.

It's cute. A few left-leaning indie bands (actually, I'd be interested to meet a right wing indie rocker) have donated songs for free download with the option to make a donation. Sam Champion has already posted theirs, and we can expect more from Jens Lekman, Antibalis, Via Audio and others up through election day. The songs themselves are not necessarily political, but what's up there so far is cute.

—eh

I caught up with this week's episode of Gossip Girl last night, and it was awesome. I don't want to spoil it, so I can say no more, except that the last scene unfurls to Santogold's "Shuv it," my new favorite song.

—eh

Good old Green Label Sound is offering a free download of Matt & Kim's "Daylight." The song is slightly less lo-fi than their previous work, but no less charming.

—eh

If you get your butt over to 53rd Street, between Broadway and Eighth Ave, by 7:45pm, you can catch TV On The Radio performing "Dancing Choose" on the fire escape of the Ed Sullivan Theater. If you miss it, of course, you can catch it later tonight on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

If you go, let me know how it is.

—eh

September 22, 2008 - Burlington, MA - Zoë Vision/Anthem Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of the Snakes & Arrows Live DVD on November 25 from the legendary rock trio RUSH. This 3 disc DVD set, also available as a Blu-ray Disc, follows their Zoë Vision DVD releases Rush-R30 (2005) and Rush in Rio (2003).

Thanks to Guitar Hero, Rush is my 13-year-old cousin's favorite band. I'm sure he (and his parents) will be psyched by the news.

—eh

Track list after the jump

(via; check out the whole photo set, it's pretty cool)

"We're Bloc Party, and we're from London," Kele Okereke opened the show.

The drummer came out on stage swaddled in a blanket over a beater and boxers -- which was by far the most entertaining part of the beginning of Bloc Party's set last Thursday. The music however ... Okereke's voice seemed a little weak and the audio mix was way off.

But the crowd was super hyped and the problems seemed to work themselves out. By the third song ("Hunting for Witches") Okereke seemed to hit his stride, and the mix smoothed out (or I stopped noticing it) some time after that. The lyrics remained a little muffled throughout the show -- which is a shame, because Okereke's paranoid indictment of modern society is part of the band's attraction. But everyone there already knew all the words to every song.

More after the jump.

I saw "Ghost Town" over the weekend, and it was really cute. It was like if "Sixth Sense" had starred David Brent instead of that creepy kid.

The opening titles made use of a very literal interpretation of The Beatles' "I'm Looking Through You" (above), one of my favorites.

The soundtrack also used Brendan Benson's "What I'm Looking For" (again, in a really literal way), a song that's been used in an iPhone commercial, a Sears.com commercial, and episodes of "Men in Trees" and "The O.C."

Maybe this use will finally put him over the top in terms of popularity in the U.S.

—eh

BONUS: Gratuitous "Extras" clip.

Lego is getting all pop culture, creating special edition Madonna, Amy Winehouse, Posh Spice and David Beckham, and other Lego people for the company's 30th anniversary, according to The Sun (UK).

See more pictures here.

They're not going into mass production, according to The Sun, so it looks like most of us won't be able to get our hands on these. We'll have to console ourselves with Jack and Meg White in Lego.

—eh

According to Shore Fire Media:

[November 25,] S-Curve Records will release '24 Hours' - Tom Jones' incredible new album and his first US release in 15 years - on Nov 25. Tom co-wrote a majority of the songs (a first for him), and most of the album was produced by Future Cut (Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Estelle). What's more, Bono and The Edge contribute a new song, written specifically or Tom.

This should go well with your import copy of "Reload," his excellent 1999 covers album. I'm not kidding, that album was awesome. He covers "Burning Down the House" with The Cardigans, "Mama Told Me Not to Come" with Stereophonics and "Motherless Child" with Portishead. Damn!

And who could forget:

—eh

I don't know why it's taken me all day to post this, because it was an awesome show. Green Label Sound, a Mountain Dew sponsored label that offers free digital downloads, hosted a party last night with Matt & Kim and The Cool Kids. Flosstradamus was there too, but I didn't stick around for that because ... I was tired.

Matt & Kim, rocking out. (via)

The Cool Kids came out first, bursting with youthful energy. I saw them last year at CMJ, and they have only gotten better since then. They rap over fat retro beats and a live DJ scratching giving the whole performance an old school feel. These kids are having fun and it is contagious. I also liked that the two of them chant just off tune from each other, giving their voices kind of a modulated robot effect.

And, though I just said they were old school, they also reminded me a lot of Madvillian, both in their proficiency and commitment to silliness.

Their set is a blur as they fly from song, and is over before I know it.

M&K after the jump...

Cat Power covers David Bowie's "Space Oddity" for a Lincoln commercial. Nerve's Remote Island has a few more commercials featuring her lovely voice.

—eh

I haven't been watching the remake of "90210" because even though I truly and publicly love trashy teen nighttime soaps, this one just held no interest for me. I don't know why -- I just started watching old episodes of "The O.C." and I love it, so it's not like the subject matter doesn't appeal to me.

But, so, even I know that one of the things Josh Schwartz's original show was known for was its cool music -- and releasing a show soundtrack, which I think was pretty rare at the time. Even Pitchfork acknowledged the phenomenon, albeit with indie fear and loathing.

Now, of course, every network drama considers itself a musical tastemaker. (Which is weird. We can all agree on that, right? I really resent Meredith Grey for blowing up my favorite bands to the point of overexposure; and also for her inability to grow up and get a freaking clue, but that's another story.) And that includes the new "90210." On their website, they're pimping out a complete mix from each episode so far, selling such indie-cool acts as Tilly and the Wall, MGMT, Vampire Weekend and Luscious Redhead (is this the love child of Luscious Jackson and Blonde Redhead?).

So, yay, I guess that there's another outlet for bands to find exposure. But I still find it profoundly strange that crappy TV is the best thing that can happen to a band.

—eh

The DJ at the party I was at last night (more about that later) reminded me of these two songs. I used to love them in all their cheesy glory. Thanks go to the trance-loving guy I dated in college for an increased appreciation of dance music (though after we broke up, I did stop pretending I was into Sasha & Digweed).

Mojo, "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)"

Gigi D'Agostino, "I'll Fly With You"

I also may or may not at the time have purchased a CD titled something like "Ibiza Party Jamz 2000." I was living in Europe at the time. So it's not all Matt's fault.

—eh

My high school friend Jaymay was featured on NPR's Second Stage podcast today!

I haven't spoken to her in a few years, but she was always a really cool person and I've been her biggest fan since she started coming up through the Sidewalk Antifolk scene. I am clearly biased, but I love her music. I think she has a great voice, a vivid lyrical imagination and interesting musical ideas.

—eh

• So apparently Kanye was listening when I said that his new song at the VMAs was boring. It was all for me, and only me that he remixed "Love Lockdown," right? Listen here.

• TV on the Radio released their video for "Golden Age," the new single off of their forthcoming album, "Dear Science."

I love the dancing on the mountaintops thing. It's kind of like their hanging out on the set of an art rock "Neverending Story."

• The Teenagers (the music group, not the age group) decided that what the ultra-preppy Vampire Weekend needed was more synth. I'm not sure I agree with them, but their makeover of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" makes it an entirely different song. (via)

• I really didn't like Cold War Kids when their album first came out, but they definitely grew on me. And now I'm really into the lead singer's yelly singing voice. Their sophomore album drops next week, but you can hear their new single "Something is Not Right With Me" over at MTVu. I don't know if it's the economy/election/war/Amy Poehler or what, but I feel like a lot of people are feeling like this right now. C'mon guys! Let's get it together.

—eh

!!!, "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)." This is the song I was thinking of yesterday. Those two guys in Williamsburg sounded like they were covering this song. Isn't Brooklyn great?

—eh

I was hanging out in Williamsburg last night, and on my way from the train to my destination, I saw the strangest sight. This duo of musicians was performing right on Bedford, with at least one of them wearing a viking hat. One was singing into a plastic microphone, and I wish I could sing for you what they were singing. It went something like "doodle doot doot doot dooooooo ...," in a really high pitched voice. It reminded me of some Fischerspooner song (I've been trying to figure it out all day). But the best part was the reaction of people on the street. Some politely listened, others walked by like they were too cool, but no one reacted like this was anything out of the ordinary. It was kind of awesomely weird.

My other street musician contact this weekend was a guy down in the Bedford Ave L stop. He was playing banjo with a tambourine and some sort of drum at his feet. He was really talented; in fact, people stopped and smiled and danced. That kind of thing doesn't happen in Manhattan, I'll tell you.

So, what's the point of all this? I guess I'm saying that Williamsburg is a kind of hipster circus. Check it out some weekend.

—eh

The rock band Oasis canceled its Terminal 5 show Friday night, but the group will still be in the city promoting the new album in some interesting ways.

There are even rumors you might find one of the Gallagher brothers crooning in a subway station near you like any other subterranean busker. If the rival siblings don’t make it, however, there definitely will be authentic New York street musicians performing songs from the latest Oasis album, “Dig Out Your Soul in the Streets,” coming out Oct. 7.

The band teamed up with the MTA and NYC & Co., the city’s tourism agency, to bring its music to the streets. In fact, the group taught more than 30 city street performers songs from its new album to be sung at a number of subway and transit spots. A full list of street locations can be found at nycvisit.com/oasis and oasisinet.com.

— Garett Sloane

The "Family Guy" creator's partnership with Burger King kicks off today. The Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy presents short videos that wouldn't be out of place as a tangent in any "FG" episode that also, I guess, make you want to go get a burger or something. They're also posted to Burger King's YouTube channel.

Funny, but not at all groundbreaking. Also, Mario sounds like Stewie putting on an Italian accent.

But let's bring this on around to music. You can't find "Super Galang Galang" (that mash-up of Mario and M.I.A.) online any more, but there are plenty of SMB cover tunes and remixes out there.

Let's start simple with Super Mario Theremin:

More after the jump.

Back in the days of 10 CD Thursday (yeah, that's dead), I discovered (for myself, not anyone else) a little Brooklyn band called Locksley. Their sound is pure early-'60s-handclaps-loving Beatles, but they're fun. And now they're MTVs Band of the Week! They're currently on MTV's Choose or Lose tour, which hits NYC Nov. 1.

Way to go, guys!

—eh

Music nerds already know that Bob Moog (rhymes with "vogue") changed the face (ears?) of electronic music with his synthesizer. Read more here, if you're interested.

Musicians from all genres are getting together October 13 to celebrate the man and his revolutionary instrument with a massive concert at the Manhattan Center. Even more exciting, Moogfest is sponsoring a contest in which you too can celebrate electronic noise:

Moogfest 2008 offers an opportunity for artists to play alongside the world's leading Moog players.  Entry submissions should be made by September 10; artists selected will be compensated an amount to be determined based on draw, experience, etc. For more information visit www.sonicbids.com/Moogfest.

Tickets for Moogfest 2008 are available through Ticketmaster. 

For more information on Moogfest 2008, visit www.moogfest.com

—eh

A few weeks ago, we rounded up some songs people have written for Barack Obama ("Obama Over the Rainbow" is still my favorite). Now, and I know you have all been waiting for this, Boy George gets in on the act. The song itself is pretty basic, "Yes we can" repeated over a simple dance beat, but the cartooning in the video is genius. Well, by genius I kind of mean insane. You've gotta watch it.

—eh

Vampire Weekend has been accused of lifting their sound straight from Paul Simon's "Graceland," who himself learned more than a few things from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and friends. So with that, it's interesting to hear Esau Mwamwaya (hailing from Malawi and London, according to their MySpace), cover VW's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." It's totally cool.

(French class was long enough ago that I can vaguely make out what the text says on the above link: the take away is that he wants you to imagine you're on vacation while you're listening to this music, it makes it fun.)

They've also got another good track with the ever popular M.I.A.

—eh

Jonah Hill is funny.

—eh

Brand, who was hilarious last night, if not completely well-received, charms reporters backstage after the show.

—eh

An excerpt: "how stinking and vile ... is music right now"

Read the whole thing here. If you can get through her lack of punctuation and general disregard of the rules of English, she's got an interesting perspective. This is a woman who was an honest-to-god rockstar once.

—eh

Welcome to the yearly madness that is the MTV VMAs. Like usual, they've stacked the deck for a "shocking" live spectacle, to retain an audience that has been bleeding away for years. Don't worry MTV, you've still got a viewer in me! For one more year, anyway. Let's see how this business turns out...

11:14pm: Kanye's being boring (I never thought I'd say that!), so I'm going to start in on my wrap up thoughts: This year, while less of a disaster than last year and far more enjoyable to watch, seems really packaged. In addition to the contrived Britney sweep, everyone was really safe (well, marginally safe -- Lil Wayne gave the bad-word beeper a run for her money). Russell Brand was a bit raunchy, but in a controlled way -- and he had to apologize for making fun of promise rings on MTV! And the most popular performers were pre-created Disney brands: Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, even Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

At least the lady interviewing Russell Brand post-show is flirting with him. This is a channel for grown-ups still, right?

Ugh. Perez Hilton is on the TV. Time to turn it off.

more after the jump...

The Submarines, "You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie"

The above song was used in a recent iPhone commercial, and the duo just did an interview with Jesse Thorn's intern on the most recent episode of Sound of Young America, but the news here is: doesn't Blake Hazard sound so much like Nina Persson?

—eh

Bonus:

Here's Persson covering The White Stripes' "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground."

We've pretty much ignored the news that Britney will be opening the VMAs -- I think it broke at an inconvenient time for me or something. But MTVs marketing of it is pretty interesting.

Check out their ass-kissing tribute to the fallen starlet, here (I can't get the video player to embed correctly).

It's a smart way for them to stroke the ego of the girl they embarrassed on national television last year, while reminding the audience that she is actually a legitimate performer, even if that talent has lain fallow for a few years.

Also, remember that snake thing? That was freaky.

—eh

The MTV Video Music Awards starts in about four and a half hours. To get ready, I want you to watch this video of VMA host Russell Brand on David Letterman.

He's kind of unknown in the States, but he's really, really funny. Also, his hair is awesome. I'm interested in seeing what he'll do tonight. (And as far as those Rocky Horror remake rumors go, I totally buy Brand as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.)

Brand has ton(ne)s of clips up on YouTube, although, be forewarned: his stand-up can be fairly raunchy.

—eh

In the course of research for my last post, I found this old ad for the Apple IIe. Remember those? I don't. I was three when they rolled out.

The song used here, of course, is a slightly reworded version of Crosby, Still and Nash's "Teach Your Children Well." Sellouts. Young wouldn't have gone for that nonsense.

If you're interested in more vintage Apple ads, this guy has compiled a bunch, including the legendary 1984 ad.

—eh

I know several teachers (One of them is my mom. Hi mom!), and from them I've learned two things: teaching is tough work, and you get a heck of a lot of vacation time. Which second fact makes it a great career choice for aspiring musicians — teach all year, tour for the summer, get signed to a label and never look back. That's how it works, right? Well, that's how it worked for the following.

• The most famous example of teacher-turned-rockstar is probably Sting, who spent two years as an English teacher, an experience that inspired the Police hit "Don't Stand So Close to Me."

• To indie rock fans, the hyper-prolific Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices (among other things) might be a more obvious example. The notorious champion drinker taught fourth grade for several years.

Guided by Voices, "Teenage FBI"

more after the jump.

"Each Year" and "Too Too Too Fast"

The Ra Ra Riot love continues. Their album dropped two weeks ago, and it's awesome.

"The Rhum Line" will be familiar to longtime listeners, including as it does several tracks from the EP. The old tracks are tighter and more polished, and the new stuff is just as beautiful. In particular, "Winter '05" is a beautiful ode to the singer's faraway beloved. With a simple violin and viola (?) accompaniment, the singer's melodic lament ("If you were here, winter wouldn't pass quite so slow") takes center stage. In a neat touch, they use sleigh bells to keep the beat.

The Riot sound, for those of you not already in love, is sort of twee chamber pop ("Suspended in Gaffa" is an out and out waltz) with a backbeat and a dash of '80s. When they go wrong, it can be a little sterile and bland, but when they do it right, it's really sweet. And for the most part "The Rhum Line" does it right. This is music for shameless romantics (who get freaked out by too much bass).

—eh

Some of the more interesting press releases to hit my inbox:

• Stevie Wonder honored:

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today named singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder ... as the recipient of the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The award presentation will take place in the Great Hall of the Library on Feb. 23, 2009. As an added distinction to this year’s Gershwin Prize, the Library has offered, and Wonder has accepted, a musical commission.

Set your TiVOs.

• Wizards pick up guitars:

Come "wrock" with us at NYC's first ever wizard rock festival Sunday, September 21, 2008. This all-ages event will be headlined by the bad boys of wizard rock, Draco and the Malfoys. The NYC Wizard Rock Festival will be held at Public Assembly (formerly Galapagos) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Draco and the Malfoys, "My Dad is Rich ... Your Dad is Dead"

For more info, visit the Wizard Rock Festival website.

• Newcastle Ale is sponsoring a contest offering a trip to Glastonbury Music Festival.

Music aficionados can enter the sweepstakes via a mail-in tear-pad entry form at participating grocery stores nationwide from now until November 15, 2008. Winners will be selected on Nov. 25, 2008.

—eh

OK, this has little to nothing to do with music, but I saw this and needed to share it. Above, is the short cartoon "Munro." An effort by Jules Feiffer-Gene Deitch-Howard Morris, it tells the story of a four-year-old drafted into the U.S. Army.

Thanks to Nerve's Screengrab blog for posting their list of The World's Greatest Animated Shorts (part one, part two, part three, part four, part five). Check it out. It's awesome.

—eh

Why were we talking about early '90s sitcom "Blossom" this morning? Who can say? But it inspired me to dig up the old theme song, which is sung by none other than New Orleans legend Dr. John.

And who could forget: Joey Lawrence sings!

And Mayim Bialik studies neuroscience! (There's no video of this on YouTube.) This, of course, sparked a debate about who's better: Bialik or Danica McKeller ...

Take us out, Joe Cocker.

—eh