Posted on 14 May 2009
Natasha Khan fans who purchased a Two Suns CD found a special surprise when ripping it to their laptop, being taken to a special site to download the bonus (and apparent live staple) “Lo-Fi” version of “Daniel.” Those opting to go full download for the album via iTunes do not get access to that reworking — in the promotional age we call this spreading the wealth — but of course mighty Apple’s iTunes store gets an exclusive an exclusive of their own in “Wilderness.” It’s pretty for a b-side, and of a piece with the more balladic and intimate moments of Two Suns. Listen:
Continue reading New Bat For Lashes - “Wilderness”…
Posted on 14 May 2009
Following her much discussed Avril makeover and sexy photoshoots (and, more recently, scoring 90210) there is very little Liz Phair could do to shock us. So news a few months back that the alt icon was appearing in a Banana Republic ad campaign was met with a collective shrug from you guys. We all have to put food on our families. But what if I told you Banana Republic is the only place you can get Liz’s new song “Faith & Tenderness”? That would be more intriguing, and that is what I’m telling you.
Continue reading Liz Phair’s “Faith & Tenderness” A Banana Republic Exclusive…
Posted on 13 May 2009
Glasser is L.A.’s Cameron Mesirow, with an assist from Foreign Born’s Matt Popieluch. But essentially it’s a one-woman bedroom project for now, driven home by this cloudy one-woman video. Except for when there’s ten of her. “Apply“’s a highly percussive keyboard meditation, Cameron singing through delay and with a little Kate Bush in the mix. As her layered vocals pour in thing become a little more clear, and brighter, closeups of her eyes and her hands in mudra locks along the way. Pretty and simple song, fittingly simple and hazed video.
Continue reading New Glasser Video - “Apply”…
Posted on 13 May 2009
Or at least at least want you and me and everyone we know to drink really bad beer. A year ago, when I interviewed the Dodos’ about their day jobs, they offered up “Fools” to go along with the discussion. Fittingly — since we’re focusing again on economics — the song also scores their foray into paid advertising, via an ebullient, summery Miller Chill ad. It’s unclear if anyone actually drinks Miller Chill (after all, the song is called “Fools”), but to the agency’s credit, this spot makes the product seem semi-appealing. Until you remember it’s watery 100 calorie Miller Lite with a too-sweet twist of lime.
Continue reading The Dodos Drink Really Bad Beer…
Posted on 13 May 2009
Vanity Fair has pics and a preview of the Magnetic Fielder’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s creepy kid. Merritt says: “This is part of my plan to make 50 successful Hollywood musicals.” Don’t doubt it.
Posted on 13 May 2009
A month and change before its proper release, Wilco (The Album) is streaming at Wilco (The Band)’s site. The humped album art might’ve hinted at something funny, but the sounds are pretty sober (and also just pretty). Maybe the way they relate to Shriner camel and his orange hat/orange cake in the sunny photo is the crisp, uncluttered midday brightness of the recordings. You’ve heard opener “Wilco (The Song)” and “One Wing,” now hear the rest, including the Feist duet “You And I,” at wilcoworld.net.
Wilco (The Album) is out 6/30 via Nonesuch.
Posted on 13 May 2009
You knew she dug Brecht and now Palmer’s collaborated with her former drama teacher Steven Bogart and the kids at her former Boston-area Lexington High School to create “a play that uses music… not a musical.” It’s called “The Needle That Sings in Her Heart” and, yes, In the Aeroplane’s its inspiration/backdrop. Can jazz hands play musical saw? Watch.
Posted on 12 May 2009
When we posted “The More That I Do,” the lead track from Swedish minimal techno whiz Axel Willner, aka The Field, the comments focused on (a) how beautiful it is and (b) that is makes use of the Cocteau Twins’ “Lorelei.” In this remix by the Foals, you may want to shift gears to the tinnier sound (it feels blanket muffled or rusty), the attempt at loud-soft dance-floor dynamics, and the additional threads of percussion. For all the tweaking, the original’s more impressive in its assured approach to the ecstatic. It’s from the Fields’ second proper full-length Yesterday & Today, which is out in a couple of weeks. This remix is via NME.
Continue reading Foals Remix The Field…
Posted on 12 May 2009
Posted on 12 May 2009
For better and for The Worst, the Killers are a band intent on bleeding their strongest, most irresistible singles into albums that want desperately to be grand, All American masterpieces. Sometimes that means aping masters that have done it before (his name rhymes with Springsteen), and sometimes that means taking an orchestra to Ed Sullivan Theatre for a song that’s all about slick chrome American princes and blue jean serenades. This is a post about the latter option. Last night Brandon Flowers shot for the moon on Letterman with “A Dustland Fairytale,” and whatever you might think it lacks, ambition is not it. That grab is from the 10 seconds he decided he was conducting the orchestra. Afterward Dave is all about joy-riding around with the Killers in a van and teasing people, which sounds awfully familiar.
Continue reading The Killers Bring An Orchestra And “A Dustland Fairytale” To Letterman…
