Black Box 4/10/09

Black Box 4/10/09

Friday's Black Box

Friday is a day to crash. Crash meaning "to kick back and relax." And also, for me, meaning to violently burn to the ground in a heap of broken pieces because of all of the things that I have neglected to write about during the week. Since this happens pretty much every friday, I've resolved to go the way of the airplane and record everything in a tiny black box. Also, for your convenience I have decided to forgo the inevitable casualties usually associated with plane crashes. Cheers.
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New Michel Gondry Video Collection

Michel Gondry directorial repertoire has embraced, in reverse chronological order (because I copied from IMDB), an episode of "The Flight of the Conchords," The Science of Sleep, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl", Björk's "Bachelorette", and Daft Punk's "Around the World" making him a good human being. But believe it or not, he has made even more visual candy throughout his career, some of which will be compiled on "Michel Gondry 2: More Videos Before & After DVD 1," due April 14 via Gondry's website. The vidlist is divided into a "Music Videos" section and an "Other Work" section. Some of the ones that I am stoked about are listed below.

From "Music Videos"
Paul McCartney: "Dance Tonight"

Björk: "Declare Independence"
Queen [ft. Wyclef Jean, Pras and Free]: "Another One Bites the Dust"
Radiohead: "Knives Out" *
The Rolling Stones: "Gimme Shelter"

From "Other Work"
"The Simpsons" White Stripes Parody
Booker T and The Michel Gondry’s
Michel Gondry Solves a Rubik's Cube With His Feet
Michel Gondry Solves a Rubik's Cube With His Nose
Jack Black Beats Michel Gondry With His Rubik's Cubes
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Sigur Rós' Jónsi has Side Project, Album

Ethereal Icelandic vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson aka Jonsi from Sigur Ros is planning to debut a side project entitled Riceboy Sleeps with his partner Alex Somers. You may have already encountered RS via the Philip Glass-y eight and a half minute Dark was the Night track "Happiness," which you may have noticed, was all instrumental. This is apparently true to form as July 20th will bring the debut release from the duo which is also completely instrumental.

According to a press release all of the songs are "played solely on acoustic instruments in Iceland (and featuring long-time string collaborators Amiina, as well as the Kopavogsdaetur choir) and then endlessly toyed with on solar-powered laptops in a raw food commune in some far corner of Hawaii." Awesome! Check the tracklist here, a video for "All the Big Trees" (which looks like a photo from Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud) and "Daníell in the Sea."

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Stream Part of Animal Collective's Remix of Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Zero"

While most 7"s are a chance for diehard fans to hear that b-side or alternate take that makes their collection complete, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/ Animal Collective split 7" is generating a bit of buzz mostly due to AC's remix os YYYs "Zero." If you are that interested, you can listen to about 30 seconds of it here. There is an annoying little beep that interrupts the song so you dont steal it or something, but other than that it seems pretty interesting to me.

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Kanye West is a Gay Fish Says South Park

This sounds compellingly like "Heartless"

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Bat for Lashes "Daniel (lo-fi version)" Live

If you've been checking out Natasha Khan's new Bat For Lashes album, Two Suns, via myspace (or otherwise...) than you will most likely want to see this live version of an alternate lo-fi take of the excellent song "Daniel." I definitely love to see all the instruments they use. What is that tinkly thing?


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Ryan Adams + Mandy Moore =

Black Box 4/3/09

Black Box 4/3/09

Friday's Black Box


Friday is a day to crash. Crash meaning "to kick back and relax." And also, for me, meaning to violently burn to the ground in a heap of broken pieces because of all of the things that I have neglected to write about during the week. Since this happens pretty much every friday, I've resolved to go the way of the airplane and record everything in a tiny black box. Also, for your convenience I have decided to forgo the inevitable casualties usually associated with plane crashes. Cheers.

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New Joanna Newsom!

Ok, so here is what happened. On monday, I post about how I am frustrated that Joanna Newsom hasn't made any music for a long time. Then on tuesday, she plays a secret show debuting two and a half hours of music. So obviously, the only thing I can conclude from that is Joanna Newsom reads this blog! Right? Please...? Ok fine. But still, this is awesome news. Via Naturalismo Newsom, playing under the pseudonym "The Beatles's" played through her forthcoming 3rd LP which "combines the strong melodic presence of songs on The Milk-Eyed Mender with her continued instrumentational prowess and maturation beyond Ys." Apparently there are some "Only Skin"-esque songs over the 12 minute mark and a bit more of a focus on piano. Be sure I will keep you updated on everything I know about this.
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Phoenix on SNL

French popsters, Phoenix, will grace the Seth Rogen hosted SNL on the morrow promoting their forthcoming album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which is out on May 26. Definitely sound promising.

Phoenix "1901" - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix [2009]
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" Covered A Cappella

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New Bob Dylan Track, Lp

Bobby D has made a track from his forthcoming 46th LP, Together Through Life, via this website. The track is entitled "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" and is free. Album's out 4/28 on Columbia.

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Cryptacize Have Video for "Blue Tears"

Sufjan loves this band. We love this band. Maybe you love this band? Check the vid.

If you do love this band, then buy their forthcoming (how many times can I say forthcoming in this post?) album Mythomania on April 21st via Asthmatic Kitty.

Cryptacize "Blue Tears" - Mythomania [2009]
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Bat For Lashes Album on Myspace

You can now Stream her forth-------- album for free. I am still on the fence about this one. Let me know what you think. It seems like it is trying to be really big and grand but I'm just not sure that it has enough content to fill all that space. Not to mention it employs the now ubiquitous synths.

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Yeasayer Video from Dark Was the Night

In addition to writing their follow album to the excellent All Hour Cymbals, Brooklyn's Yeasayer made this video of their also excellent contribution to the charitable Dark Was the Night compilation. It's a lot more intimate than the recorded version, which offers a new angle to the song that I think is really interesting.

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Stuart Murdoch Offers Song from his Musical

Belle and Sebastianite, Stuart Murdoch has written a musical. He calls this musical God Help the Girl. The music itself is mostly new material with a few old B&S songs. The album is due June 23 on Matador and the first single "Come Monday Night" is out May 11, but you can hear it right now on the God Help the Girl MySpace.
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Sigur Rós performed an acoustic version of the title track to last years beautiful 'Með suð í eyrum' for the French blog La Blogotheque. They bang on a bucket, which I think is rad.

Black Box 3/27/09

Black Box 3/27/09

Friday's Black Box

Friday is a day to crash. Crash meaning "to kick back and relax." And also, for me, meaning to violently burn to the ground in a heap of broken pieces because of all of the things that I have neglected to write about during the week. Since this happens pretty much every friday, I've resolved to go the way of the airplane and record everything in a tiny black box. Also, for your convenience I have decided to forgo the inevitable casualties usually associated with plane crashes. Cheers.

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Björk and Dirty Projectors to do Benefit

This Stereogum sponsored awesome-fest is in support of Housing Works, an NYC non-profit that has fought against both AIDs and Homelessness since 1990. It is set to go down like this:

In a brand new collaboration, Björk will perform music composed for her by David Longstreth. The suite, written for five voices, will pair Björk with Longstreth and Projectors' Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, and Haley Dekle. The band will also perform material from Dirty Projectors' oeuvre, using only voices and one acoustic guitar.

If you happen to live in NYC (then why are you reading this blog and not this one?) the show is on Friday, May 8th, at 8PM at Housing Works Bookstore & Café (126 Crosby Street) in Manhattan. More via Sterogum.

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Prince Does Leno. Three Times.

If you couldn't help but notice your life was a little short on the funk-o-meter, Prince as arrived. His purpleness is making quite a splash this year performing three nights in a row on Leno, playing three shows in one night, and releasing three albums in one year day. Im starting to think he might be blessed. MPLSoUND, Lotusflow3r, and Elixer out on Sunday at...Target.

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Animal Crack Box sells, Then Doesn't
Like we said, Animal Collective's Animal Crack Box was up on ebay for $2,425 which it eventually sold for. However, it turns out that the winner (loser) couldn't pay up, which seems like a mean thing to do to a charity. Catsup Plate's website says to keep looking at Catsup Plate's website for information about a relisting.
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All Five of Death Cab's New EP available at Stereogum

As a redux to some certain strong opinions regarding the new Death Cab offering, The Open Door EP, here are links to all the tracks. The EP is available online at the end of the month on Atlantic.

01 "Little Bribes"
02 "A Diamond And A Tether"
03 "My Mirror Speaks"
04 "I Was Once a Loyal Lover"
05 "Talking Bird" (demo)
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Sunset Rubdown announces Third LP, Dragonslayer
Spencer Krug is a busy person. Besides releasing two albums in the last two years with two different bands, he already has another album ready with another different band. Dragonslayer is out 6/23 via Jagjaguwar along with a picture disc 7" called Introducing Moonface that'll include "Coming To The Dawn" and "Insane Love Is Awakening." It's out in early April via Aagoo.

01 "Silver Moons"
02 "Idiot Heart"
03 "Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!"
04 "Black Swan"
05 "Paper Lace"
06 "You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)"
07 "Nightingale / December Song"
08 "Dragon's Lair"

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Metric's New Album Fantasies streaming online

The Album is out digitally in a couple days (on 30th March) and the album will be released physically, four weeks later, on 27th April. But if you can't wait, that is what myspace is for .

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Blender Mag Gone Under

Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine today, eliminating about 30 jobs and reducing its portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. The April issue of Blender out now will be its last. Not that I ever read the magazine. It is sad to see people lose their jobs.
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Muppets Interview Shins

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Los Campesinos! Recording Another Album

Via their new blog:

"We’re about 7 tracks (probably about halfway) into our over-thought, over-long, over-the-top sophomore album, and I’m thinking this is probably going to be our 'Coke Album' what with the track-numbers piling up, egos a-flailing and a Gallagher-sized sense of misplaced belief in our own band. Sadly though (for you) there’s not a sniff of white powder in sight, so it might not be as bombastic as we’d all hope… (though i’m sure if we went searching in the cracks of the SSL board here at Carriage House we’d find enough to make Be Here Now 2). So it’s probably gonna be more of a 'Diet Coke Album'."

They are working with John Goodmanson for this record, who has produced both Blonde Redhead and Hanson. Maybe they can get sweet hookups with some Tinted Windows.