TV On The Radio On the TV
In case you missed it, I thought I’d share TV On The Radio’s appearance on the Colbert Report.
Recent Posts
Mmm...Not So Much...
Surf City is Wonderful
Here’s what I like about Surf City: Their jangly guitars, lo-fi echoing vocals, yelping background chants, charming organ tinklings, and staggeringly well-formed pop sensibilities. Sure, there are elements of their songs that might be considered surf-y (hence the name), but don’t assume they’re Beach Boys or Jan and Dean or Dick Dale disciples. Mostly, these enthusiastic New Zealanders create noisy pop a la their fellow countrymen (and one of my absolute all-time favorite bands) The Clean. It’s ramshackle fun (which is surprising coming from a band formerly named for the Jesus and Mary Chain song Kill Surf City) and, frankly, you should have a listen for yourself. Spend a little time with Records of a Flagpole Skater, off their six song debut EP, at bottom.
You need Flash to listen to this track.
Surf City – Records of a Flagpole Skater
Cover Songs Done My Way
The idea of doing cover songs has rarely seemed interesting to me. Playing someone else’s music only feels special when the artist paying homage does something truly unique to make it their own. The Sex Pistols’ rendition of My Way, the classic Sinatra croon, is a great example. The irony of young anarchists singing one of their parents’ most cherished songs - and the relevance of the expressed sentiment in its reapplication - made the cover a perfect anthem for the punk generation. Conversely, Johnny Cash paid tribute to latter day songwriters by offering his take on songs orginally recorded by Sound Garden, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. Below, just a few other covers that I truly do adore.
You need Flash to listen to this track.
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Dear Prudence
Drummer Prodigies Make Me Feel Like Starting A Variety Show...
Here are two clips of crazy drummer prodigies. The first is an 11 year old girl who must’ve first started playing in the womb. And then, there is this insane 8 year old boy from Romania.
Jay Reatard Throws An Evil Right
In this clip, Jay Reatard punches the hell out of someone who climbed on stage during a performance. The knock-out shot ended the show.
Photos of a Town at a Standstill
A disquieting collection of photographs that capture the stillness in Prypiat, a northern Ukranian ghost town that was once home to the Chernobyl workers. The city has been empty and—owing to radioactive fallout—uninhabitable since 1986. This unsettling group of photos gives a rare opportunity to study a slowly decaying city that, despite once being the home of some 50,000 people, is now utterly and completely lifeless. [via Boing Boing]
Anything Goes When It Comes To Hoes Because Pimpin Ain't Easy
Here is a teaser for a documentary on the one and only old school hip hop lyrical genius Big Daddy Kane. Now somebody has to make one on Eric B. and Rakim.
A Finger To The Aristocrats
One of the UK’s top music video directors is a fellow who goes by the moniker WIZ. His visual signature is rather cinematic and often he manages to elevate the video format to something more important, a stage for social commentary. A common theme in his work of the last few years is British classicism. Here are four examples:
Dizzee Rascal / Rascal Sirens
Kasabian / Empire
Kaiser Chiefs / Angry Mob
Oasis / Falling Down
Broadcast's Subtle Sonics
At their best, Broadcast is in my (truthfully, quite long and disorganized) list of favorite bands: I think their early, autumn-colored, codeine-drowsy recordings combined Spector standards with modern electronics and the perfect dash of Kraut rock-derived rhythms to create songs that are lush, dreamy and lullaby-esque. Maybe the most spellbinding of all is Oh How I Miss You, a song barely over a minute long, consisting solely of one titular lyric repeated over and over again amidst reverb-soaked percussion; lonely, echoing piano; winsome bass; distressed synths; and ghostly, tired vocals. That something so simple can be both so moving and so beautiful is testament to the talent of a band who—despite moving in a direction I love less in recent years—knows how to conjure emotion with just a few tools, sparingly used. Listen below.
You need Flash to listen to this track.
Broadcast – Oh How I Miss You
dum dum girls do it right
I was never a big fan of K Records’ output, which might explain why I’m not a big fan of Vivian Girls, who’ve culled much of their sound from Calvin Johnson’s seminal indie label. Although slapdash-y, punk-derived girl guitar pop appeals to my senses in every way, there’s two ways to go about it, I think, and I much prefer one over the other. Not to get all Anglophilic here, but I simply enjoy the sonics of bands that seem to borrow more from their UK counterparts than their Olympia-based forebearers. Enter dum dum girls, who are from L.A. but sound like they might’ve partied with Holly Golightly and Thee Headcoatees and The Delmonas—and at moments, even, Lush and Black Tambourine. The result is music that’s blissfully fun, junky, spazzy and dreamy (more at some times than others. See, for example, Baby Don’t Go.) and is most effectively defined by words like “catchy.” Anyway, they’ve posted two videos—one for Catholicked and the other for Blank Girl—which Gorilla vs. Bear has been kind enough to round up and post here. Enjoy.
Michael Jackson Has a Bajillion Songs You've Never Heard
Well, not a bajillion, which actually isn’t a real number, so that kind of goes without saying. But maybe 100. At least that’s the word on the street. There are reports swirling that Jackson has an entire catalog of songs he doesn’t want anyone but his kids to hear—and not until he’s dead and buried. You may be wondering why you should care, and I’m happy to answer. You see, a long time ago—we’re talking decades now—Michael Jackson was amazingly cool and talented and insanely popular and everyone wanted to be just like him. And then, suddenly, everything went tragically awry. The artist known as Michael Jackson (I’m still waiting for proof that’s really him) started acting all kinds of crazy and dyed himself white and dangled little babies from balconies. It was all a bit weird…and a lot sad. At any rate, all this death-preparing, morbid talk from Jackson (again—if that is his real name) is fueling rumors about his health. There’s more here; have a look.
Fork in the Road
Neil Young has a soon to be released studio album called Fork in the Road. The album takes inspiration from his car that doesn’t require gasoline. Just another reason to love Neil.
Never Go Against the Family
The Godfather has long been one of my very favorite films. The March issue of Vanity Fair has an article that details how the film was made and many of the obstacles the producers and Coppola faced trying to make the movie. Can you imagine if Ernest Borgnine really ended up playing the role of Don Corleone or if Frank Sinatra had successfully halted the film’s development?
A Japanese Supercar
Supercar was a Japanese rock band who were actively making music from 1995-2005. The band’s sound combined digital loops with shoegaze inspired melodies and drones to create a unique brand of pop. I discovered their music when I saw the incredibly weird video for their infectious single White Surf Style 5. Since their music is pretty hard to come by in the US, I thought I’d share some of their bizarre music videos.
David Lynch on Twitter
David Lynch is on twitter and indeed it really is him. Apparently he likes to update with weather reports for LA. I found two gems linked off his page. Here is a clip of David Lynch, the cowboy singing in a studio. And here, he talks about making art. Only Lynch would think to title a painting, Woman with Broken Neck and Electric Knife Speaks to Her Husband.
A dome is such a great shape to project a movie on. I think one day people will have domes in their homes. They’re magical. - David Lynch
Kingdom of Heaven
Erik recently went to Louisiana on a trip to take photos. He documented his experiences in a series entitled Kingdom of Heaven.
Andreas Nilsson Tells A White Lie or Two
A few weeks ago, I posted the video for the first Fever Ray single. The clip was directed by Andreas Nilsson. He has also recently created a trio of videos for the freshman release of NME darlings White Lies. Check out their collaborations on the following videos:
Two Videos from De Thurah
Despite plummeting budgets and TV no longer being a good outlet, I still find music videos to be one of the best ways to discover music. Martin De Thurah is one of the most gifted directors working in the business. He brings a unique vision to everything he shoots and ultimately creates visual poetry for each song that he couples with imagery. Here are two of his most recent videos. Both are extraordinary.
Glasvegas / Flowers and Football Tops
Fever Ray / When I Grow Up
Nine Inch Addiction
Trent Reznor has worked tirelessly the last few years touring and recording many times over. He is currently working with the original line up of Janes Addiction in the studio. The two bands will hit the road for a short tour this summer and then he will be taking a NIN hiatus for an unknown amount of time.